Bandung, Indonesia, Nov 27, TEN Network | Even though technology gives solutions to a lot of our problems, its excessive use is harmful. This is the reason why many parents struggle to keep their children away from smartphones and other gadgets.
In a bid to distract children and keep them away from smartphones, authorities in an Indonesian city have come up with a plan. The officials in Bandung will be giving schoolkids their own pet chicks to take care of.
The students would be required to feed their pets before and after school. They would be allowed to keep the pets at their home or on the school campus if their backyards are small.
A dozen chicks placed in cages were distributed to some students on Thursday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The cages had a sign on them that read, “Please take good care of me”.
Bandung’s mayor Oded Muhammad Danial, told AFP, “There is an aspect of discipline here.” He added that the project is not only about restraining the phone habits of school-going children. Launched by President Joko Widodo, the move is a part of the national plan to broaden pupils’ education.
The project was first announced last month after which authorities took time to make arrangements with local chicken farms.
Parents seem to be happy with the chicks-not-smartphones plan. Yayah Ratnasari, a mother, hopes that the initiative would encourage her teenaged son to become a poultry farmer. However, her son Rabil finds it “more interesting” to play with a smartphone. (TN)
