Indonesia hopes to wipe out illiteracy in five years time<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia must wipe out illiteracy among people
\nin the 10-44 age bracket by the end of the Sixth Five-Year
\nDevelopment Plan (Repelita VI), President Soeharto says.<\/p>\n
In his speech to mark the 29th International Literacy Day
\nyesterday he said there are currently six million people in this
\nage bracket who still cannot read and write.<\/p>\n
The campaign to eliminate illiteracy in Indonesia complements
\nthe nine-year compulsory schooling for children between six and
\n15 years old which was launched this year, he said.<\/p>\n
The campaign is also targeted at parents because those who are
\nilliterate tend to be ignorant about the benefits of higher
\neducation and discourage their children from furthering their
\nstudies after finishing school, Soeharto pointed out. \"Parents
\nwho can read and write will encourage their children to pursue a
\nhigher education.\"<\/p>\n
The President described the endeavor as a constitutional task
\nbecause the country has a duty to enhance the intellectual
\ncapacity of all its people.<\/p>\n
The International Literacy Day actually falls on Sept. 8 but
\nwas only commemorated in Indonesia yesterday because of President
\nSoeharto's busy schedule. It was earlier slated to be held late
\nSeptember in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, but this was
\npostponed because the city was covered by thick haze caused by
\nforest fires.<\/p>\n
This year Indonesia extended the compulsory education scheme
\nfrom six years to nine years but given the immense challenge and
\nthe limited facilities for junior high school, the government
\nsaid the scheme will cover all children in the six to 15 year age
\ngroup within 10 to 15 years.<\/p>\n
In contrast, the six year compulsory schooling launched in
\n1984 has now encompassed most children between six and 12 years
\nold, thanks to the heavy government investment on school
\nbuildings and teachers.<\/p>\n
Budi Utomo<\/p>\n
Soeharto said the campaign against illiteracy in Indonesia
\ndates back to the establishment of the Budi Utomo, the first
\nnationalist movement in 1908 when Indonesia was still under Dutch
\ncolonial rule.<\/p>\n
\"The pioneers of national independence fully realized that the
\nstruggle for freedom would be faster if carried out by people
\nwith education,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The endeavor against illiteracy continued after independence.<\/p>\n
At the beginning of independence in 1945, about 90 percent of
\nIndonesians were illiterate. By 1980, the rate had declined to 25
\npercent. By 1990, it was down to just under 16 percent, but this
\nstill represented about 21.4 million people.<\/p>\n
The government is now focusing on the six million people in
\nthe 10-44 age bracket.<\/p>\n
Soeharto pointed out that Indonesia's campaign in education
\nand wiping out illiteracy has been considered so successful that
\nit won the international Avicena Award from UNESCO.<\/p>\n
The President said the government is banking on the PKK, a
\nwomen's grassroots movement with government support, to help in
\nthe literacy campaign targeted at adults in rural areas.<\/p>\n
About 60 percent of the illiterate people in Indonesia are
\nwomen, yet \"we all know how important the role of mothers and
\nwomen in general is.\"<\/p>\n
He said that besides economic factors, some cultures also
\ndictate that parents discourage their daughters from pursuing an
\neducation after primary school. Some parents don't even let their
\ndaughters complete primary school, he noted.<\/p>\n
Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro in his
\nspeech at the ceremony said that the government's campaign
\nagainst illiteracy this year is targeted at one million people.<\/p>\n
In the campaign the ministry is also working with other
\ngovernment agencies, such as the Ministry of Religious Affairs,
\nthe Ministry of Home Affairs and the Armed Forces. One such
\noperation is called the Bhakti Manunggal Aksara, Wardiman said.<\/p>\n
The government is also enlisting the support of various
\nprofessions, including entrepreneurs and ulemas in the endeavor
\nto eradicate illiteracy, he added. (emb)<\/p>",
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