Political influence in education must be managed<\/p>\n
===================
\nTantri Yuliandini
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta
\n-------------------<\/p>\n
From the time of the Dutch colonial rule to today's reform
\nmovement, education in Indonesia has never been free from the
\nentanglements of the country's politics.<\/p>\n
Indeed, politics has been so entrenched in the everyday lives
\nof the people that it is impossible to separate it from
\neducation, Arief Rachman, an education expert, said.<\/p>\n
\"There is nothing in Indonesia that can be separated from
\npolitics, including education. This is really the concept of
\n(people with) vested interests,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
It was in the interest of the Dutch government that education
\nfor Indonesians was limited to an elite few, for example.<\/p>\n
Even long after the ethical movement in 1901 to improve the
\nwelfare of the people in the Dutch colonies, education for
\nindigenous Indonesians was aimed at maintaining the Dutch's rule
\nin the country.<\/p>\n
According to education observer Henry Alexis Rudolf Tilaar in
\nhis book 50 Tahun Pembangunan Pendidikan Nasional, 1945-1995 (50
\nyears of national education development, 1945-1995), education
\nduring the colonial period put great importance on fluency in
\nthe Dutch language and all things related to the Netherlands, in
\norder to invoke sympathy and quell nationalistic inclinations.<\/p>\n
\"So, for example, in geography lessons, students were taught
\nto memorize the names of small cities and canals in the
\nNetherlands. The curriculum was to produce in people a conquered
\nmentality without (their own) identity,\" he said in his book.<\/p>\n
And any type of educational activities aimed at the general
\npublic were scrutinized by the Politieke Inlichtingen Dienst
\n(PID), the Dutch secret police, who were quick to squash
\nnationalistic movements, Tilaar said.<\/p>\n
However, education -- no matter how little -- made a chink in
\nthe wall of Dutch repression, and soon an elite group of educated
\nIndonesian nationalists formed.<\/p>\n
Recognizing that education could become an effective tool to
\ndevelop feelings of unity and nationalism, and eventually of
\nindependence, this group established schools for a national
\neducation.<\/p>\n
According to Tilaar, Ki Hadjar Dewantara, known as the father
\nof Indonesia's national education system, united national
\neducation with the national movement with the establishment of
\nhis Taman Siswa (student garden) school in 1922.<\/p>\n
The father of the national awakening, Wahidin Sudirohusodo,
\nonce said, \"Only by lots of studying can a person move forward
\nand free himself from a situation of utter repression.\"<\/p>\n
Those striving for national unity experienced a minor
\nbreakthrough when the Japanese took over the country in late
\n1941.<\/p>\n
Tilaar said that the Japanese's effort to eradicate all Dutch
\ninfluence, including its language, resulted in the widespread use
\nof Bahasa Indonesia, which was used as a bridge to the
\nintroduction of the Japanese language.<\/p>\n
The Japanese also transformed the education system to serve
\ntheir needs in the South Asian war. Thus, schools during the
\nJapanese occupation taught the importance of love for country --
\nillustrated in the flying of the Japanese flag and the singing of
\nthe Japanese national anthem every morning -- and introduced
\nmilitary exercises.<\/p>\n
After the country won its independence in 1945, education was
\nused by the new Indonesian government as a powerful tool to evoke
\nfeelings of political unity, Tilaar said.<\/p>\n
\"It was an era when the indoctrination method was a tool to
\nachieve a certain political aim,\" he said in his book.<\/p>\n
In the late 1950s, for example, the aim was to ensure that
\npresident Sukarno's political manifesto was accepted by all
\nIndonesians.<\/p>\n
Then came the New Order regime of Soeharto, who used education
\nas a means to instill obedience to those in power.<\/p>\n
According to sociologist Ignas Kleden, education during the
\nNew Order regime was \"exceedingly instrumental in character and
\nalmost without emancipatory effects\".<\/p>\n
He said that exercises at schools focused more on obedience to
\nauthority, to the teacher and school regulations, which was
\nanother way of instilling obedience to the state and the ruler.
\nIn short, education was a tool to keep Soeharto on the throne.<\/p>\n
\"Education that frees the person from his narrow environment,
\none that opens up new horizons, that gives inspiration, or one
\nthat can make a person think for himself, make his own decisions,
\nalmost never has had a place ... in our national education,\"
\nIgnas said in a paper published in the Kompas daily late last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
He gave as an example the wide use of multiple choice exams in
\nschools, which according to him does not allow students to think
\nor have a different opinion from the answers already given on the
\ntests, which he called a \"standardization of answers\".<\/p>\n
\"Standardized answers to examinations is only a derivative of
\nthe regimentation of education and teaching, resulting from a
\nuniformity of politics,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Once again, politics cannot be wholly separated from national
\neducation, but to what extent can we tolerate the dabbling of it
\nin our schools?<\/p>\n
According to Arief Rachman, although politics can never be
\nerased completely from education, there should be a form of
\ncontrol over its influence so that education is no longer merely
\na political tool.<\/p>\n
\"There must be regulations drawn up by an independent body to
\ncontrol (political influence) ... every school should have its
\nown board of education,\" he said, explaining that the boards
\nwould comprise concerned parents and people from the community.<\/p>\n
\"We have to understand that politics will always play a part
\nin our education, we have to tolerate that. On the other hand,
\neducation needs to be free enough and independent enough so
\npolitics cannot abuse it,\" Arief added.<\/p>",
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