Indonesia school’s ‘zombie like walk’ trial for teens draws outcry

In a city in the far east of Indonesia, sleepy teenagers can be seen every morning trudging zombie-like through the streets on their reluctant way to school. It's not a scene from some cheesy sci-fi offering, but a controversial experiment designed to start the day off much earlier for sleep-deprived teenagers.

The pilot project in Kupang, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province, has twelfth graders in 10 high schools starting classes at 5.30am.

Officials say the program, announced last month by Governor Viktor Laiskodat, aims to strengthen children's discipline. However, parents say their children are "exhausted" by the time they get home. Schools in Indonesia usually start between 7:00 and 8:00. Teenagers in school uniforms now walk through dark streets or wait for motorcycle taxis to get to school on time. “It's extremely difficult, now he has to leave home while it's still dark. I can't accept it. Their safety is not guaranteed when it is dark and quiet," Rambu Ata, the 16-year-old's mother, told reports.

Her daughter Eureka now has to get up at 4am to get ready and ride her motorbike to school. "Every time she comes home, she is exhausted and immediately falls asleep because she is so sleepy," Ata said. At least one scholar seems to agree.' It has nothing to do with trying to improve the quality of education," Marsel Robot, an education expert at Nusa Cendana University, told in reports. In the long term, sleep deprivation could compromise students' health and cause behavioral change, he said.

A 2014 study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that middle and high school students start classes at 8:30 a.m. or later to allow enough time for sleep. The change to Kupang's rule was also challenged by local lawmakers who demanded that the government scrap what they called an unfounded policy.

The government continued the experiment despite criticism and even extended it to the local education agency, where civil servants also now start their day at 5.30am. Not everyone is unhappy with this policy. Rensy Sicilia Pelokilla, the agency's civil servant, told AFP that starting earlier made her healthier because she now has to join group exercises in her office that she used to sleep through. "As a public servant, I am ready to comply with the regulations and will do my best," Pelokilla said.