Teachers ( Guru ) are respected almost as second parents. Students use formal Javanese levels of speech (if in Java) and kiss the hands of teachers when greeting them ( salaman ). Discipline can involve standing in the sun or cleaning kamar mandi (toilets)—corporal punishment is officially banned, but still occurs in some regions.

Afternoon lessons, often including Pendidikan Agama (Religious Education) which is mandatory. While the state officially recognizes Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, religious instruction is given according to the student’s registered faith.

Smartphones are ubiquitous, even in villages. Social media (WhatsApp groups, TikTok, Instagram) drives school life—homework distribution, gossip, and tugas kelompok (group assignments). The downside? The government has repeatedly had to block online cheating rings during national exams.