Implications of Susilo's political pledges for education<\/p>\n
Mochtar Buchori, Jakarta<\/p>\n
After the new Cabinet was sworn in, I was telephoned by a
\nnumber of correspondents asking for my comments about the choice
\nof Bambang Sudibyo as the new minister of education. I said I was
\ndisappointed.<\/p>\n
My disappointment stems not so much from the fact that Pak
\nBambang Sudibyo is, a newcomer in the field of education, one who
\nlacks a convincing track record in this field. It comes rather
\nfrom the fact that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono seems to
\nhave caved in too much to the politicians demanding seats in the
\nCabinet. In fact, the Cabinet that finally emerged involved so
\nmuch wheeling and dealing that many people now doubt Susilo's
\nability to ever take the country out of the present mess.<\/p>\n
To many people, he seems not to have sufficient confidence in
\nthe fact that his rise to the presidency is the result of the
\nsolid political backing given by the people, not by particular
\nparties. After his attempt to form a strong Cabinet powered by
\nheavyweight professionals was so roundly subverted, many people
\nwonder whether it will still be possible now for him to fulfill
\nhis promise to solve the problems of the country, including those
\nof education, in a fundamental, decisive and swift manner.<\/p>\n
President Susilo made solemn pledges in his inaugural address,
\nsome parts of which have far-reaching implications for our
\neducation. From the educational point of view, the most exacting
\nof all will be his pledge to \"free our people from poverty,
\nignorance, backwardness and all the problems that prevent the
\ndevelopment of our people's abilities.\" Placing this pledge in
\nthe present context, he said that this was tantamount to the
\nchallenge of \"consolidating our democracy and accomplishing our
\nreform agenda.\"<\/p>\n
President Susilo was sincere when he made this pledge. It is
\nnot clear, however, whether he fully realizes what this will mean
\nfor the educational policy that has to be formulated. To free
\nthe people from ignorance and backwardness will require an
\neducational policy that radically departs from the tradition that
\nhas persisted thus far in our education system.<\/p>\n
First, we have to be quite specific in identifying the kinds
\nof ignorance and backwardness that have prevented our people from
\ncultivating abilities that relevant to present demands. What kind
\nof knowledge, skills and values must be introduced into our
\nschool programs?<\/p>\n
This is an issue that for some time now has been dominating
\nthe debates on Indonesian education. There is the debate, for
\nexample, about whether \"intellectuality\" or \"morality\" should be
\nregarded as the more important aspect of our education. In the
\ncontext of the current situation in our schools, the question is
\nwhether \"general education\" should be made subordinate to
\n\"religious or moral education\". The answer is, of course, that
\nboth are of equal importance. The question that still has to be
\nsolved, however, is how to translate this into curriculum
\narrangements and classroom practices within the daily operations
\nof our schools.<\/p>\n
No sign of fundamental change in this respect is in sight. We
\nkeep running our schools in the traditional way, which has caused
\nour people to remain mired in ignorance and backwardness. So,
\nwhat is the solution? Who should lead the vanguard in this
\nrespect?<\/p>\n
If we look next at the President's pledge to consolidate our
\ndemocracy, an equally perplexing question will emerge. It must be
\nadmitted that we as a nation have made very significant progress
\nin making democracy work in our pluralistic society. But is this
\nthe end point in our efforts to establish democracy? Certainly
\nnot! What needs to be consolidated is the spirit needed to create
\ndemocracy that is not only functioning as a political system, but
\nas a social system and as a value system as well.<\/p>\n
What is perplexing is that our value system is still in
\ntransition. What we are experiencing at the moment is a
\ntransformation of our value system upon which our political
\nsystem will eventually have to rest.<\/p>\n
This means that to make our nation capable of consolidating
\ndemocracy, our educational system will have to democratize our
\nschools. The spirit of democracy can be nurtured only in an
\neducational environment that is truly democratic. How do we make
\nour teachers and educators behave in a way that is both
\nprofessional and democratic?<\/p>\n
It is not clear what the best answers to these questions are,
\nbut whatever they are we can be sure that consolidating our
\ndemocracy means revamping our educational system in a thorough
\nand fundamental manner. At the end, what we need is not only
\neducational reform, but educational transformation.<\/p>\n
And finally, President Susilo's pledge to create \"clean and
\ngood governance, which is responsive toward the public and their
\naspirations\" also has far-reaching consequences for our education
\nsystem. Among other things, it means that a new crop of
\nbureaucrats must be created. Can we rely in this instance on the
\nnotorious Institute of Public Administration (STPDN). It would
\nnot be wise to place too much faith in this institution. Which
\neducational institution then should be primarily responsible for
\ngrooming the new type of bureaucrat?<\/p>\n
To a very large extent the system of formal education will
\nhave to shoulder this responsibility. It will have to educate the
\nyounger generation in a way that will imbue them with the ethical
\nand intellectual potential to become, after going through
\nprofessional training, bureaucrats who are perceptive to the
\nneeds and the aspirations of the people whom they are supposed to
\nserve.<\/p>\n
Going back to the problem of our new minister of education, I
\nwould like to stress here that my disappointment does not signify
\nany disrespect towards Pak Bambang Sudibyo. After all, I only met
\nhim very recently when a mutual friend introduced me to him.
\nWhoever is occupying this Cabinet seat will have to marshal every
\npotential and win the trust of the entire educational community
\nin the country.<\/p>\n
Only then will the public say that the trust placed by the
\nPresident in the new minister of education is indeed a well-
\nplaced one. Only then will the public say that the minister of
\neducation has the potential to assist our new President fulfill
\nhis solemn pledges to the people who love, respect, and trust
\nhim.<\/p>\n
The writer is a former rector of IKIP Muhammadiyah, Jakarta,
\nand has a Ph.D. in education from Harvard University.<\/p>",
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