By: Drs. Rohiman
CIREBON – aswinnews.com – Recently, the public has been stirred by a statement made by Governor KDM, who proposed sending lazy teachers to military barracks as a form of discipline.
This idea went viral after appearing on the Dedi Mulyadi Channel and sparked both support and criticism. One supporter is Abah Roy, a community leader who expressed public concern and called the military barracks a “symbol of responsibility.”
However, as an educator and citizen within a legal state (rechtstaat), I feel compelled to redirect this discussion to prevent it from becoming a justification for emotional and symbolic approaches that could ultimately harm the education system itself.
The Problem Isn’t Just the Teachers, It’s the Oversight System
It’s true that there are some teachers who are lazy, undisciplined, or unprofessional.
But let’s be honest: who has been responsible for guiding and supervising them? Isn’t that the role of school principals? Aren’t there school supervisors whose job is to conduct academic and managerial oversight?
Why, then, when teachers are seen as negligent, is the solution to bypass official structures and send them straight to military barracks?
Where is the role of the supervisor?
Where is the role of the principal?
If supervisors and principals properly fulfilled their duties, teachers wouldn’t be so easily “lazy.”
Coaching Must Be System-Based, Not Emotion-Driven
The idea of sending teachers to military barracks—even under the guise of “guidance”—is a reactive and emotional policy.
The teaching profession is an ethical and academic one, not a militaristic one.
Teachers’ discipline must be enforced, but through instruments already provided by the legal framework, such as Government Regulation No. 94 of 2021 on Civil Servant Discipline, and through supervision by school inspectors.
Good intentions alone are not enough. In a legal state, good intentions must be carried out in the right way—based on procedures, participation, and respect for the dignity of the profession.
Barracks Are Not a Place for Teacher Development
Equating teachers to delinquent children who need religious boarding or soldiers undergoing physical training is a flawed analogy. Teachers are not soldiers. They are intellectual workers who require development through training, coaching, mentoring, and fair performance evaluations. If digital attendance can be manipulated, the solution isn’t to send teachers to barracks—it’s a wake-up call for weak oversight systems, not a justification for symbolic actions.
Solution: Strengthen the System, Don’t Jump to Symbolism
We can’t solve educational problems with mere symbols and media drama.
We must fix the system: strengthen the role of school supervisors, implement objective performance evaluations, ensure proper reporting, and enforce discipline in accordance with the rules. If all of this is done correctly, underperforming teachers will naturally be filtered out—without the need for barracks or public shaming.
Closing
Criticizing the idea of military barracks does not mean defending lazy teachers. On the contrary, it’s because we want to improve the quality of education that we must adopt approaches that are dignified, rational, and system-compliant. We are not against change, but change must follow proper procedures and uphold professional ethics.
Education is a matter of the state, not a stage for one person to act as a savior. If the system functions, there will be no need to send teachers to barracks.
