"(Sports) can help children exchange skills, knowledge, and establish positive communication and social interaction," he underlined.
"In addition, sports such as football can strengthen teamwork, (build) empathy, brotherhood in team development, and maintain good values within the sport itself," he added.
Concurring with his remarks, an official from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Minhajul Ngabidin, said that Indonesian children have different interests, whether in the academic or non-academic field.
Therefore, his ministry is continuing to encourage the development of their potential to nurture strong character in students and thereby, realize the "Pancasila student" profile envisaged by the Merdeka Belajar (Freedom in Learning) policy.
"The development of children's interests and talents, whether in academic or non-academic fields, should continue to receive full support so that children's inner strength can develop optimally," he said.
"In the non-academic field, one of the efforts that can be undertaken is the development of children's potential through sports, such as through football sport," he suggested.
This support aligns with the ministry’s vision and mission of early childhood education, primary education, and middle education for realizing creative, independent, pious, moral, and cooperative Pancasila students with critical and global thinking.
The expectation is that positive activities like sports can encourage the development of children's potential in the non-academic field, he said.
This would also support the realization of healthy, strong children with moral character, in accordance with the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology's goal for the Healthy School campaign, he added.
Developing children's potential necessitates further collective effort, Ngabidin said.
"Let us work together in potential development so that the younger generation can be a great generation in both academic and non-academic fields, while also having a strong character," he added.
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Translator: Arnidhya Nur Z, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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