Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 05/02/2008 1:46 PM | Focus
Seto Tri Cahyo, 14, left his junior high school because he could not cope with the rising tide of surplus subjects sinking him under carriculum overload and teacher pressures.
"When I hadn't finished understanding one subject, my teacher was already introducing a new one. It went on like that over and over again," Seto told the Post.
This got worse as he was overwhelmed by a mountain of homework.
"I was often asked to write out punishments like 'I did not do my homework because I am stupid and naughty'," said Seto, whose brother and sister were university graduates.
Another teacher punished him by telling him to repeatedly write out hundreds of lines on paper, quite unrelated to educational needs or motivation.
His slow progress in class caused another problem when his teachers relegated him to the back row of the class.
"Only the smartest ones deserved the front row. Our teachers only explained things to them, ignoring the rest, including me," Seto told The Jakarta Post.
Due to depression, Seto, a former student at the State Elementary School SDN Tanjung Barat 07 Pagi in South Jakarta, failed his final exams and could not go on to higher studies.
Seto Tri Cahyo, 14, left his junior high school because he could not cope with the rising tide of surplus subjects sinking him under carriculum overload and teacher pressures.
"When I hadn't finished understanding one subject, my teacher was already introducing a new one. It went on like that over and over again," Seto told the Post.
This got worse as he was overwhelmed by a mountain of homework.
"I was often asked to write out punishments like 'I did not do my homework because I am stupid and naughty'," said Seto, whose brother and sister were university graduates.
Another teacher punished him by telling him to repeatedly write out hundreds of lines on paper, quite unrelated to educational needs or motivation.
His slow progress in class caused another problem when his teachers relegated him to the back row of the class.
"Only the smartest ones deserved the front row. Our teachers only explained things to them, ignoring the rest, including me," Seto told The Jakarta Post.
Due to depression, Seto, a former student at the State Elementary School SDN Tanjung Barat 07 Pagi in South Jakarta, failed his final exams and could not go on to higher studies.