Schools out for Asian Games

Jakarta, MINA – Jakarta officials are to close the city’s schools during this year’s Asian Games in a bid to help ease traffic congestion, Inside the Games reported, citing the officials.

The decision by the Jakarta Education Agency means schools will be closed for nine days during the Games, due to take place between August 2 and September 2.

“The Jakarta Education Agency is ready to support the Asian Games,” Sopan Adrianto, head of the Education Agency, said.

“Hence, we have decided to close not only several schools in Jakarta, but all of them.”

Traffic in Jakarta is notoriously bad.

The Indonesian capital was named the world city with the worst traffic in one index in 2016 based on satellite navigation data, which found the average driver starting and stopping more than 33,000 times in a year.

An estimated 70 per cent of the city’s air pollution comes from vehicles, it is estimated.

It typically takes two hours to drive 25 miles to the centre from Bogor, the largest of the satellite cities, where many office workers live

Previously, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan had considered closing schools near the Asian Games venues – the Gelora Bung Karno sporting Complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, and the Velodrome and Equestrian Centre in Rawamangun and Pulo Mas, East Jakarta to try to compensate for the expected heavy traffic.

Sopan, however, said that closing only some schools would have been difficult for the Agency.

So, it was decided that all schools, both state and private, would be closed.

Shifting holiday schedule

To ensure that disruption caused to children’s education is minimal, school holidays in December will be cut to compensate.

“We shifted the holiday schedule from December [to August],” Sopan said.

Jakarta is co-hosting the Games with Palembang. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)