Key to better education system in Indonesia<\/p>\n
Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo, Former Governor, National Resilience Institute
\n(Lemhanas), Jakarta<\/p>\n
Without the access to a high standard of education people are
\nnot able to lead the fulfilling lives they might otherwise have
\nenjoyed. Nations that aim to create a prosperous, strong and
\nhealthy society cannot afford to ignore the rights of their
\npeople to an education. Indonesia is presently experiencing the
\nresults of its past education policies.<\/p>\n
Education has become an expensive process, partly due to
\ndevelopments in science and technology. Education must be up to
\ndate with the advancements of society but this requires the
\nconstant renewal of resources.<\/p>\n
The population is growing, and more and more people are
\nstruggling to afford a good education in order to improve their
\nfutures. Education should be open to everyone and not just a
\nselect few. If the desire for education is there it seems that
\nthe battle is half way won.<\/p>\n
But often only the children of wealthy parents can enjoy a
\ngood education, as their parent's are financially capable of
\npaying the high tuition fees of private institutions.<\/p>\n
This further exacerbates the polarization between rich and
\npoor, the wealthy have access to information and are equipped
\nwith skills that make them valuable to modern society, the poor
\nremain uneducated and lacking in such basic modern requirements
\nas computer literacy .<\/p>\n
It is easy to predict the social inequalities and even
\nsecurity problems that will develop from such oversights. In a
\ndeveloping nation like Indonesia it is up to the government to
\nlead the way to a better education for all of its people. In
\nGermany and Sweden the government finances education from the
\nelementary level up until university level. It can't be denied
\nthat education is the most important investment that a nation can
\nmake.<\/p>\n
There are many debates today about education. Does the answer
\nto a better education system lie in a new approach to curriculum
\nor the improvement of the teacher's salary?<\/p>\n
The first step toward better education is the understanding of
\nthe issue by leadership at both national and local levels.
\nWithout their cooperation the improvement of teacher's salaries
\nand welfare remains a dream. It is also the key to a better
\neducation for teacher's.<\/p>\n
If there were abundant financial resources it would be
\npossible to make all basic and secondary education free, such as
\nin Malaysia. The need for the government's subsidy of tertiary
\neducation has become the subject of student demonstrations. But
\nif the government lacks in financial strength it will be slow to
\nfind the appropriate funds.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives could issue a law proscribing a
\n20 percent share for education in the national budget. But if the
\nsize of the government budget is limited, 20 percent of it is not
\nworth much. So the government's leadership needs to aim for the
\ngrowth of the Gross National Product and an increase in national
\nwealth.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has never enjoyed a government that puts education
\nfirst. President Sukarno was a great national leader but he
\nalways favored a system of mass political education.
\nHis government did not pay enough attention to education and his
\nbad economic management further aggravated poor efforts toward
\nimproving the system.<\/p>\n
President Soeharto had some positive ideas about the role of
\neducation but Soeharto and his ministers considered education to
\nbe a mere commodity and never the most important investment of
\nthe nation. The Soeharto government established a system of 9
\nyears of compulsory education but did not provide the resources
\nto make it successful. The result was not an improvement of human
\nresources but, on the contrary, the increase of an unskilled
\nlabor force.<\/p>\n
For Soeharto and his economists the improvement of such things
\nas the building of roads, harbors and the electric power system
\nhad a much higher priority than education. This notion still
\nprevails today among leading politicians and economists.<\/p>\n
If Indonesia seriously wants to improve education it needs to
\nsolve other problems first. The national leadership must be
\nconvinced that education is the most important investment for the
\nnation and it must be sincere in following up its conviction with
\npolicies to provide the necessary revenue for education.<\/p>\n
The same requirement must be extended to leadership at a local
\nlevel. Without the certainty of leaders -- that education must
\nimprove in its capacity and quality -- it is unrealistic to hope
\nfor better education in Indonesia.<\/p>",
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