Plonco and Educational Methods: Indonesia

I didn't have a clue what Plonco was or how it was applied. To me it sounded like someone who is fond of his booze!. But it seems this is not the case in Indonesia.

When I read about it in the JP I was amazed it even existed to this day. The tradition of plonco or hazing is really just bullying in the guise of a welcome and seems an outdated one these days yet many new students at universities in Indonesia and around the world are still subjected to it in some form.

When I first went to University the only flack I copped was from lecturers who didn't like the way I kept asking questions in the middle of a lecture.

Anyway, the notion of plonco existed only in the middle of the century. In Indonesia it was brought by the Dutch who applied the method in their education system in order to challenge the appropriateness of new students.

The word plonco came from the Dutch ontgroening, which means "to diminish a verdant spirit". By doing such harsh things the plonco system abolishes the childish personality in every new student so that they can be considered ready to enter university.

Apparently the current education system needed a new method to teach students to gain skills amidst stiff international competition.

As you can imagine it is futile to hit or yell at students, they will get nothing from such methods and instead suffer psychological trauma and ended up insane.

Geez, I'd rather get Plonco with a bottle of Arak than go through all that crap!.