Jakarta (ANTARA) – Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini encouraged Indonesian children to never stop pursuing their dreams despite challenging times presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are currently facing hard times. You cannot meet your friends at school and must study virtually from home. However, you should still never give up,” the minister told Indonesian children virtually during the commemoration of National Children’s Day (HAN) 2021 monitored online in Jakarta, Friday.
Rismaharini believes that giving up was not an option since God presented opportunities to all without discrimination. Hence, what needs to be done is to keep striving and praying.
“No matter how difficult the situation is, we should never give up and go through it all. It is not easy, but that is the path we must take since success can never be achieved without hard work,” she affirmed.
During the pandemic, when children are required to study from home virtually, boredom could set in due to the lack of interaction with their friends. Hence, the minister has encouraged children to cultivate hobbies at home, for instance, painting, reading, or gardening.
The minister shared with the audience her penchant for collecting seeds and planting them until they bore fruits. Crops, such as chilies and tomatoes, can be useful, she stated.
“It means, no matter how small our action is, it can be useful for others,” she remarked.
During her speech, Rismaharini also reminded children to use cell phones for productive purposes.
“Do not use your phone to bully and badmouth friends. There is no point in having enemies. It is great to have a lot of friends,” she emphasized.
Although students cannot be physically present in school, the minister believes it should not be an excuse for them to become complacent in studies.
Rismaharini further stressed that Indonesian children should not harbor a sense of inferiority, shame, or fear to compete with their counterparts in the world since Indonesia is a big country, and its independence was achieved through hard work. Hence, Indonesian children are the descendants of fighters, who never give up on fighting for the nation’s independence.
Source: Antara News