Bangkalan Bans Schools from Holding Valentine's Day Events
10 February 2016 23:54 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Bangkalan - Bangkalan's Education Agency in East Java has issued a notice - banning students in Bangkalan from celebrating the upcoming Valentine's Day, which falls on February 14 every year. The notice, it must be noted, does not only apply for junior and senior high school students, as the notice also bans primary school students from celebrating Valentine's Day.
"We have forbade schools from creating events relating to Valentine's Day - may it be extracurricular activities, as well as within their curricula," said Bangkalan Education Agency's Secretary, Bambang Budi Mustika on Wednesday, February 10, 2016.
According to Bambang, the notice was issued to follow up on the instruction issued by East Java's Education Agency, which was issued on January 22, 2016. "We issued the notice to ensure that no one forgets that the regional government has a strong stance against Valentine's Day," he said.
Bambang said that Valentine's Day - which celebrates love - is not in line with the teachings of Islam, which advocates the celebration of love on every day of the year. "Love is to be celebrated everyday and with everyone - may it be with teachers, parents, and other people who makes an impact to every individuals' lives," he said.
Schools that violate the ban on Valentine's Day celebration will be penalised - teachers who violate the notice will be notified, have their promotion post-poned, or even transferred to another position. "This only applies in schools - what students do at home is their own responsibility," he said.
That said, the Principal of Bangkalan's Technical School No. 2, Dwi Lelono, said that his institution has yet to receive the notice, but concurs that there is no point in celebrating Valentine's Day in schools, as it has no relationship with educational activities. "I have yet to receive the notice," said Lelono.
Some parents agree with the Agency's stance. Edi Faisol, a parent, said that the notice should be expanded to explain that Valentine's Day is a Western celebration that is not in line with Islamic teachings. "We have to spread the word further, because even students in rural areas are now celebrating Valentine's Day," he said.
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