Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Padang – West Sumatra's new local ordinance requiring all Muslim students and couples intending to get married to be able to recite the Koran received mixed reactions Wednesday.
Most school principals warmly welcomed the move, while others questioned the regulation's fairness, since it failed to take into account other religions.
Veridiana Sumanto, principal of SMA Don Bosco senior high school, criticized the regulation for targeting Muslim students while excluding students of other religions who may also need to boost their religious knowledge.
She said the religious office has sections in charge of the five recognized religions, but the ordinance failed to live up to the same standard.
"If the new local ordinance is being implemented in our school, we have to draw up our own guidelines for students from other religions to allow them to get religious teaching on a level with their Muslim colleagues," she said.
The ordinance, which was approved Tuesday after being deliberated in just one month, requires schools to teach local content in Koran classes for Muslim students. Veridiana said that would force schools to come up with local content for other religions as well.
She praised the West Sumatra legislative council and administration for their attention to education in issuing the ordinance, but said the move focused only on improving morality, while neglecting the students' intellects.
"The council and administration are taking care of only the SQ (spiritual quotient) and not the IQ (intelligence quotient), while the two should be in balance to improve our quality of education," she said.
"Actually there has been a call from the city administration to require (Muslim) students to wear head scarves and present a certificate saying they can read the Koran when applying to senior high school, but in accordance with the school foundation's policies we haven't followed the call yet," she added.
Another principal, Rosdiana Azwar, welcomed the new regulation. "Most West Sumatra people are Muslims, it's a pity we can't read the Koran," said the principal of SMPN 12 junior high school in Padang.
She praised the move to require Koran education at formal schools and said the move would not overlap with similar instruction currently provided at non-formal schools, such as in mosques. "Other school subjects like math, English and others are also taught outside schools in courses and there is no problem," she said.
Cesar Zehan Camille, a third-year student at SMPN 1 junior high school in Padang, said the ordinance could help the younger generation avoid the negative influences of modernization. He said similar requirements should be placed on members of other religions, though.
"The local ordinance should regulate religious teaching, not only about the Koran, so students of other religions get similar attention. This is not fair," he said.