President Highlights Importance of Field Trips for Students

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) commemorated Youth Pledge Day by inviting youngsters, with achievements to their credit, or those running small businesses to the state palace in Bogor, West Java, on Saturday.

The Youth Pledge was a declaration made on October 28, 1928, by young Indonesian nationalists during the Second Youth Congress in Jakarta where they proclaimed three ideals: one motherland, one nation, and one language.

This was one of the milestones achieved in the countrys struggle for independence commemorated annually across the country.

On the occasion, the youngsters showcased their creative products, such as bags, garments, and food and beverages and introduced their communities.

President Jokowi, on the other hand, highlighted the importance of field trips for school students.

Students should not only learn in classrooms and routine academic programs but must also be imparted on-field education to learn the values of life, he said.

"Why, for instance, elementary school students are not taken to banks to see how a financial system works or to a garment factory to witness what a real factory is," he noted during a discussion with the youth.

He said school students could also be taken to a museum or historical places to learn about the founding of the state.

By taking them on field trips, cognitive education could be imparted, he stated.

"This way, children are confronted with real challenges and shown real problems that exist in line with their levels," he added.

President Jokowi also emphasized the importance of improving and promoting the application of the education system through digitalization.

"I think if we can do it, and if it can also reach the remote regions or outermost islands, change will happen fast," he remarked.

ANTARA