Irony! Dozens of Junior High School Students in Pangandaran Can't Read

Dream - As many as 29 students from SMPN 1 Mangunjaya, Pangandaran Regency, West Java, still cannot read. Most of them are male students.

“There are 11 students in grade 7, 16 students in grade 8, and 2 students in grade 9,” said Dian Eka Purnamasari, a teacher at SMPN 1 Mangunjaya, quoted from Pangandaran News, Wednesday, August 9, 2023.

The School Literacy Movement (GLS) coordinator added that the 29 students who entered the 2023/2024 academic year cannot read because the teaching and learning process during their time in elementary school could not be carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I also feel sad, sorry, and worried that they feel inferior in class. That's why I usually give marks in the grade book,” said Dian.

Dian suspects that the case not only happened at the school where she teaches, but also at other schools.

One of the students from SMPN 1 Mangunjaya who cannot read decided to drop out of school because they feel inferior.

“I don't know what happened, whether there were friends who were teasing or what, so in the end, they feel inferior because their friends can read but they can't,” explained Dian.

The school has tried to prevent the student from leaving school and asked them to practice reading after school. “According to the parent, their child no longer wants to go to school because they are ashamed,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Principal of SMPN 1 Mangunjaya, Hadi Sukmana, revealed that currently they are focusing on data and communicating with parents.

Hadi does not want parents to give negative tendencies that will make the child feel inferior.

“Basically, we will try internally with the child through techniques to make them have a high interest in reading,” said Hadi.

In addition, the school will hold special programs to minimize the possibility of students who still cannot read, one of which is reading books.

“One mentor teacher will guide 2 students. I hope that with the school literacy program that will be implemented, students can read and write fluently, because those are basic skills, their learning capital,” he said.

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