Is it elite schools, or elitist education?<\/p>\n
By Mochtar Buchori<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): I attended a very stimulating seminar on
\ntheories of education recently. Based on my previous experiences
\nin similar seminars, I had not expected an interesting
\ndiscussion.<\/p>\n
I was wrong! The participants were drawn from a wide field of
\nacademic interests, and the clashes among different ways of
\nperceiving and interpreting educational phenomena and questions
\nwere emotionally heart-rending, but intellectually fascinating
\nand invigorating.<\/p>\n
One of the issues most heatedly debated was the merit of elite
\nschools and elite education. One participant, an economist,
\nargued that we need elite schools to generate an intellectual
\nelite. We need this intellectual elite to improve our nation's
\nperformance in many areas of national interest: international
\ntrade, foreign policy, banking industries, and the like. He cited
\na slogan popular among Indonesian economists today: Whereas in
\n1945 our national battle cry was \"Freedom or Death\" (Merdeka Atau
\nMati), twenty-five years hence this will be \"Compete or Die\".<\/p>\n
Three participants, all coming from the field of Education
\n(with a capital \"E\"), were vehemently opposed to this view. In
\ntheir opinion, elitist education will create greater inequality
\nin our society. Only the very rich will benefit from elite
\nschools, whereas the majority of Indonesian children will get
\nnothing from these schools. They will still have to study in
\neducational environments that are inferior in many respects. Our
\ntask is not to increase this inequality, but to reduce it. Our
\ntask is not to create good education for the few, but to provide
\ngood education for all.<\/p>\n
In my opinion, this debate on elite education was
\nunnecessarily overheated, because \"elite education\" was confused
\nwith \"elitist education\". In my understanding, \"elite schools\"
\nare schools which are kept small by limiting the number of
\nstudents on the basis of a clearly formulated criterion. In any
\ngood elite schools, the criteria for accepting students are
\ntwofold; one that students are willing to work hard to become
\nhigh achievers, and two, that they are above average in their
\nintellectual capability. It is not necessary to require students
\nfor these schools to be super-rich and super-bright.<\/p>\n
The essential characteristics of good elite schools are hard
\nwork and a balanced educational program. Balance between physical
\nand mental exercises, balance between physical sciences and
\nsocial and human sciences, and balance between knowledge about
\nthe present and knowledge about the past. It is this kind of
\neducational program which is called \"elite education\".<\/p>\n
The kind of education which is judged as broadening the gap
\nbetween the privilege few and the handicapped majority is usually
\ncalled \"elitist education\". This is an education program designed
\nto create a social elite, not an intellectual elite. In this kind
\nof school it is not hard work and balanced education which are
\nemphasized, but the trappings of elitism: beautiful buildings,
\nbeautiful surroundings, expensive school attire, social
\nmannerisms, skills in using foreign expressions without really
\nknowing the languages and other such trappings.<\/p>\n
Do we really need an intellectual elite?<\/p>\n
The economist in this seminar argued that we do. In his view,
\nour failure to deal effectively with Ramos Horta is because we do
\nnot have enough intellectual power in our foreign office. Compare
\nthis with the situation we had from 1947 to the mid 1950s. At
\nthat time our diplomats were people with solid general
\neducations. They were able to meet the challenges of their job,
\nand performed a quite effective diplomatic mission.<\/p>\n
And why are we these days \"mute\" in facing many international
\nissues: GATT, trans-national migrant workers, determining
\ninternational standards for the work force, and the like? In his
\nopinion, it is again because we do not have enough intellectual
\nclout in these matters. He borrowed the late President Sukarno's
\nwords in warning the other participants, that unless and until we
\nare able to resurrect elite education for the good minds among
\nthe younger generation, we are in danger of again becoming \"een
\nnatie van koelies, and een koelie onder de naties\" (a nation of
\ncoolies, and a coolie among the nations).<\/p>\n
I, for one, am convinced that the time has come for us to have
\nschools which will make it possible for us to achieve aristocracy
\nwithout snobbism.<\/p>\n
The writer is rector of the IKIP-Muhammadiyah Teachers'
\nTraining College, Jakarta.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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