Full day school: more benefits or harms for children?

School hours system full day school some time ago it was widely discussed. There are parties who support because they see the benefits and benefits for children, but there are also those who oppose it. Come on, examine the pros and cons here!

What is that full day school?

Full day schoolis the KBM (Teaching and Learning Activities) system launched by the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia in 2017. From the literal side, full day school means one full day of school. This definition is still often misunderstood by the general public.

Even though "borrow a name" full day, the teaching and learning activities of this system do not take place non-stop from morning to night. In the release of Permendikbud Number 23 of 2017, it is explained that full day school means that school days must last 8 hours per day from Monday to Friday starting at 06.45-15.30 WIB, with a break every two hours. The duration of the KBM is also in accordance with the 2013 curriculum.

However, according to Ari Santoso, Head of the Ministry of Education and Culture's Communication and Community Service Bureau (BKLM), the day-to-day school system is not implemented evenly in all schools. The government frees each school to start its own implementation of the KBM program.

Schools can also do a school system full day school this gradually, it doesn't have to be straightforward. Do not forget to also adjust to the capabilities, facilities, and human resources in each school.

What is the goal?

System full day school designed to improve the quality of education by supporting the teaching and learning process more thoroughly and reaching every aspect of student academic development.

Given that students will spend more time in school, they are expected to not only get a greater proportion of theoretical deepening but also through the real application of knowledge.

The government hopes that all day long school activities like this can provide a fun, interactive, and practical way of learning. School is not just a place to face to face while sitting studying.

So in addition to teaching and learning activities in the classroom, students will also get time for extracurricular activities that can support their emotional, psychological, and social skills. For example, extracurricular recitation (if in an Islamic school), scouting, red cross, or other types of extracurricular activities related to interests in arts and sports.

The government also recommends teaching and learning activities to be filled with other fun activities related to education. For example, such as field trips to museums to learn about national culture, attend cultural arts performances, to watch or be involved in sports competitions.

In addition, a full day school system was launched to prevent and neutralize the possibility of students being involved in non-academic activities that lead to negative things.

The benefits of going to school using the system full day school

1. Students understand the subject matter more deeply

Studying one full day means that each teaching material will be discussed in more detail and thoroughly.

If previously one subject only lasted 1-1.5 hours a day, full day school allowing for additional hours of instruction up to 2.5 hours a day.

It is felt by the Ministry of Education and Culture that it will be beneficial for students because they can get more time to understand the material. Especially in exact subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, or foreign languages.

Teachers can also have more time to open question and answer sessions with their students to make sure everyone really understands the subject matter.

2. Parents need not worry

As explained above, one of the goals of one full day of schooling is to ensure children avoid activities outside of school that have negative smells. Moreover, not all parents have time to supervise their children after school.

After school hours are over, it is possible that children will still spend their time taking extracurricular activities in the school environment and also remain under the supervision of the teacher so that parents do not have to worry about their children wandering out into the night.

3. Children can spend weekends with parents

When children and parents are both busy studying and working, the weekend will be the day they have been waiting for.

With full day school, the KBM schedule is compacted for only 5 days (Monday-Friday) so that schools no longer need to require students to attend school on Saturdays.

According to Ari Santoso, children can make Saturdays and Sundays special days with their families.

But, this is a consequence of the system full day school

1. Children do not eat and sleep regularly

Apart from studying, eating and sleeping are the main needs of children who cannot be bothered.

Sleep strengthens the brain's process of storing new information as long-term memory so that all the material they learn at school can be easily recalled in the future. Meanwhile, eating provides energy for the brain to work to absorb, process and store information.

Ironically, the school system all day long is felt to prioritize these two main needs of these children. When entering school that is too early (generally starting at 6.30 am) it is risky that the child will not want to skip breakfast, or just eat only what they are. Finally, they don't have enough energy reserves to process subject matter at school. Moreover, not all schools have lunch or canteen catering facilities with nutrient-dense and varied food choices so that children tend to keep snacking carelessly.

On the other hand, school until late in the evening means students lose valuable time for rest and sleep. Not a few students also continue to take lessons or tutoring in other places after school until late at night. Children also do not have time to sleep enough at night, even though the next day they have to wake up early again to go to school.

2. Children get sick more easily

A messy schedule of sleeping and eating is dangerous for the mental and physical condition of the child in the future. Sleep-deprived schoolchildren are shown to be less likely to excel academically. They are also more likely to fall asleep in class during lessons.

Lack of food and sleep also increases the risk of children having stomach ulcers or flu so that they cannot go to school, and the risk of serious health problems such as high cholesterol and obesity.

3. Children are prone to stress

Tired of studying is the same as tired of working for adults. All energy is spent to be able to understand the "rush" of new information without stopping. Children are also forced to go through long routines plus the burden of homework and tests every few months, until they threaten to be unable to graduate if they don't get good grades.

Moreover, children also get minimal rest and play time because they are required to take part in various additional activities outside of school, including extracurricular activities and tutoring lessons.

This will gradually overwhelm the brain and become very tired, which makes the child vulnerable to stress. Stress is bad for children. Many scientific studies have reported that schoolchildren who sleep less than six hours per night are reportedly three times more likely to suffer from depression.

Psychological disorders like this in the long term can increase the risk of behavioral problems for children at school, such as truancy and experimenting with drugs or alcohol, to suicidal thoughts or attempts.

4. There is no guarantee that academic performance will definitely increase

The idea of full day school is based on the theory that the optimal learning time for children is 3-4 hours a day in a formal setting and 7-8 hours a day in an informal setting.

Even so, existing field data suggest otherwise. The duration of teaching and learning activities in Indonesian schools is among the longest in the world, even after being compared to other education-obsessed countries such as Singapore or Japan. In Singapore, for example, the average length of 1 subject is only 45 minutes per session while in Indonesia it can be up to 90-120 minutes.

In fact, long school duration does not necessarily reflect academic results that are as well aligned as possible. The average score shown by Indonesian students after studying non-stop for 8 hours is still lower than that of Singapore students, who in fact only studied 5 hours.

So what should I do?

The strengths and weaknesses above can be considered by you in choosing a school for your child. Maybe you can help find a schoolfull day which also includes fun extracurricular activities so that children can still develop by playing and doing their hobbies while reducing stress while studying.