Dangers Of Cigarettes To Be Included In School Curriculum: Minister

Yogyakarta (Antara Bali) - In an effort to prevent children from smoking, Culture and Education Minister Muhadjir Effendi has a plan to put content on the dangers of cigarettes into the educational curriculum, starting from the elementary school level.

"Students of elementary schools will be introduced to the dangers of cigarettes as part of the program of their character formation," the culture and education minister remarked at the Yogyakarta Muhammadiyah University (UMY) in Yogyakarta Friday.

In accordance with the optimization of character education targets envisioned in President Joko Widodo's Nawa Cita program, Muhadjir noted that the material on the dangers of smoking will be applicable to students from elementary schools to junior high schools.

"Education on the dangers of smoking is very important for teenagers beginning from the primary school level," the culture and education minister noted.

However, he explained that the plan to include the material into the educational curriculum still requires assessment and will be preceded by a pilot program that will be carried out in a number of areas.

Although it still requires assessment, the pilot program has been in demand from many schools and a number of city and district governments, the minister said. (WDY)