Prevent Student Marriage, Mataram City Government Increases Child Development In Schools

Head of the Mataram City Education Office (Disdik) Yusuf Zain (ANTARA)

Responding to the rise of early marriage at the age of students, the Mataram City Government (Pemkot) continues to provide child development ranging from elementary school (SD) to high school (SMP) levels.

For this reason, the education office cooperates with the Mataram City Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Service (DP3A) to prevent early marriage cases for school-age children and other potential cases among children.

"We together with DP3A have a cooperation agreement (PKS), to foster children to avoid unwanted things, including early marriage," said Head of the Mataram City Education Office (Disdik) Yusuf Zain to ANTARA, Thursday, January 26.

Yusuf admitted that this was to address the number of cases of dispensation of early marriage among students in several areas.

Especially for Mataram City, he said, until now there have been no cases of dispensation of early marriage for students, both elementary and junior high school levels.

"Hopefully it never happened. What was there yesterday was a high school student, and it's not our domain," he said.

Even if there are cases of early marriage of students in junior high schools or elementary schools, his party will provide a dispensation policy in accordance with the rules of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology that allows early marriage children to stay in school.

If there is a case of bullying at school, the student is also given a dispensation for learning and exams from home.

"In principle, don't let the child drop out of school," he said.

Related to this as an anticipatory measure to prevent early marriage cases, he said, PKS has been carried out with the Mataram City DP3A, by asking the team from DP3A to go to schools in Mataram City gradually every Monday and become a ceremony coach.

During the ceremony, DP3A will convey socialization and education related to early marriage, bullying, to sexual violence and others.

"Thus, those who know about it are not only students, but also school principals and teachers who participate in the ceremony," he said.

Yusuf admitted that at school there are currently no special subjects related to sexuality education, but teachers still insert it when there are related subjects. For example, when studying biology.

"This parenting science needs to be introduced since now, as part of monitoring children's growth and development," he said.