Jakarta (ANTARA) \u2013 Indonesia does not lack intelligent people. The\nmore fundamental question is how to ensure that their intelligence is\nused in the public interest, rather than to enrich themselves or abuse\npower.<\/p>\n
Education has a broader responsibility: to shape people who can\nshoulder responsibility within the scope of their knowledge.<\/p>\n
This idea was among the key themes in President Prabowo Subianto\u2019s\nremarks at the inauguration of SMA Taruna Nusantara\u2019s Cimahi campus in\nWest Java on Friday (30 October). On the occasion, he linked the quality\nof education to efforts to eradicate corruption. The two may appear to\nbe separate issues, but they converge on one question: what kind of\npeople should be formed and entrusted with managing the state?<\/p>\n
Corruption is not merely a matter of weak oversight or poor\nadministrative systems. Behind the abuse of authority lies an\nindividual\u2019s moral choice: someone who knows the rules and understands\nthe consequences, but still chooses to take what is not theirs.\nIntelligence can even make misconduct more systematic and harder to\ndetect.<\/p>\n
Education cannot stop at academic ability. Schools need to build\ncharacter so that knowledge has direction and limits. Prabowo said\noutstanding leaders must excel in mind, body, spirit and heart.\nIntelligent people with wicked hearts, he said, are particularly\ndangerous because they can cause suffering, injustice and disaster.<\/p>\n
However, such character is not formed through classroom lessons\nalone. Integrity must be part of everyday experience: from how people\ngain opportunities and face competition to how they obey rules and\nfulfil their responsibilities. Character education loses its meaning if\nthe educational environment itself allows dishonesty to be rewarded.<\/p>\n
SMA Taruna Nusantara is one place where this idea can be put to the\ntest. The school, which began operating in Magelang in 1990, was\nestablished to develop future leaders. Its network has since expanded to\nMalang, Cimahi, Pagar Alam, Nusantara\u2019s capital city and Langowan in\nNorth Sulawesi. The government has also made education free for all\nstudents, meaning admission is no longer limited by families\u2019 ability to\npay operating costs.<\/p>\n
This change means more than simply waiving school fees. Previously,\nstudents on the regular track were charged education operating costs,\nwhile full scholarships were available only to selected students. The\nfree scheme restores the school\u2019s original model, under which students\u2019\ncosts were fully covered with support from the Indonesian Military\n(TNI), before the 1997 economic crisis forced the policy to end.<\/p>\n
For the 2026\/2027 academic year, the admissions quota has been set at\nup to 10,000 applicants. Every student who passes the selection process\nwill receive a full scholarship. As a result, a family\u2019s financial\ncircumstances should no longer prevent promising children from accessing\nan education at the school.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/being-clever-is-not-enough-1793447492", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }