Politics, education inseparable<\/p>\n
By Harry Bhaskara<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In these testing times, where every avenue to
\novercome the plight of the nation appears to be blocked, it is
\ndifficult to be patient. But patience is the most important
\nquality now, three years after the reform movement.<\/p>\n
Experts taking part in a recent seminar here warned that a
\nchange for the better may take decades to materialize, and only
\nafter a consistent reform of the education system. They believe
\nthat the country's poor education system is one of the factors
\nresponsible for today's confusion.<\/p>\n
\"Education can certainly become one of the forces to take us
\nout of the present morass,\" said Mochtar Buchori, a noted
\neducator and a legislator. \"This (improvement) will not happen
\ninstantly but over a relatively long period spanning two or three
\ngenerations.\"<\/p>\n
Sindhunata, the chief editor of Basis cultural magazine,
\nquoting Yogyakarta painter Djokopekik, said the wild boar
\n(celeng, which signifies ignoble humanity in Javanese folklore)
\nhad been nabbed at the height of the reform movement.<\/p>\n
But then, he said, why do we still witness the darkness around
\nus today? Because everyone of us has turned into wild boars.<\/p>\n
\"We are caught by a severe 'wild boar fever,'\" he said. \"Those
\nwho appeared to be decent turned out to be wild boars themselves.
\nWhile those who are clearly evil are not ashamed about their past
\ndeeds.\"<\/p>\n
In this \"reform\" era, it turns out we have become the
\narchetype of our own enemies, he said, lisping poisonous words,
\nbecoming utterly impatient, forgoing our feeling of shame and
\nindulging ourselves in mud-slinging matches.<\/p>\n
Buchori and Sindhunata were speaking at a seminar titled
\nAnguish and Crisis: The Education Solution, held on March 15.
\nOther speakers included Abdillah Toha of the National Mandate
\nParty (PAN), educator Bambang Hidayat, Asia Foundation's Douglas
\nRamage and noted economist Faisal Basri.<\/p>\n
The remedy of the social sickness will take a long time,
\nBuchori said, because the country needs a new generation of
\nleaders capable of making decisions relevant to today's problems.<\/p>\n
Preconditions, he said, included removing the current practice
\nof separating politics from education, deliberations about
\neducation in the long-time perspective and the termination of
\nstudents' alienation from social and cultural realities.<\/p>\n
Flaws of the past education system which are largely still
\nbeing practiced, Buchori said, included both infatuation with
\nknowledge and failure to nurture the skill to grasp the meaning
\nof words, concepts and knowledge in general.<\/p>\n
Bambang Hidayat said a reformed education system must be able
\nto respond to 21st century challenges such as global trends in
\npopulation, development and environment.<\/p>\n
\"The highly complex postindustrial society demands new
\nknowledge and skills and ... new human traits for adapting to and
\nmeeting the conditions of urban life,\" Hidayat said.<\/p>\n
Asked whether politics should enter the domain of education or
\nthe reverse, Buchori said students should learn about civic
\nresponsibility.<\/p>\n
\"This is what I mean by the inseparability of politics and
\neducation. (Students) should not be indifferent to what is
\nhappening around them. They should know and develop an awareness
\nof what is going outside their schools,\" said Buchori.<\/p>\n
The separation of politics and education was incontestable
\nduring Soeharto's 30-year authoritarian rule. The image that
\npolitics is dirty stemmed from this period and is largely seen
\nthe same way today.<\/p>\n
Ramage said that putting politics in the classroom was common.
\nHe regretted the fact that many people did not want to become
\npoliticians.<\/p>\n
\"This is such a pity. Politics is an honorable profession.
\nThis is the result of an education system that says politics is
\ndirty,\" says Ramage.<\/p>\n
Toha, himself a businessman and politician, shared this view.
\n\"The country might well be governed by political observers if
\nthere is no one interested in being politicians.\"<\/p>\n
A participant at the talks who lamented Indonesia's meager 3.8
\npercent budget allocation for education compared to 25 percent in
\nneighboring countries, said politicians were needed to pressure
\nthe government to increase this budget share.<\/p>\n
Buchori said the final say on budget increase would come from
\npoliticians.<\/p>\n
\"If they (politicians) are ignorant about politics, the poor
\nstate of our education system will remain the same. So, let's
\ncreate a new generation of politicians who are politically wise.<\/p>\n
\"We can never escape from politics. It is the reality of life.
\nLet's practice politics wisely. The question is how to manage and
\ncontain the 'illiterate politicians,'\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sindhunata said the education system in Indonesia became
\ndogmatic in the 1960s. \"All of us here are products of the
\nsystem. We have failed to come out from our current crisis
\nbecause of our educational background,\" he said.<\/p>\n
With regard to moral values, Toha said that what is taught at
\nschools is too abstract and less than relevant to reality.<\/p>\n
He says many people fail to live according to the teachings of
\nIslam, for example.<\/p>\n
\"Failing to respect one's neighbors, treating housemaids
\nruthlessly, ignoring the poor, failing to contain extreme
\nbehavior and failing to be just to others and to oneself are not
\nin line with the teachings of Islam.\"<\/p>\n
Islam, says Toha, holds that anything done in opposition to
\none's conscience is a sin.<\/p>\n
Faisal Basri, until recently a leader of PAN, said religion
\nhad no relation to political morals. \"One may be a devoted
\nbeliever (of a religion) but this does not necessarily have
\nanything to do with his or her political practices,\" he says.<\/p>\n
Observing the erstwhile tendency to \"Islamize\" science, Toha
\nsaid: \"The Islamization of science has its critics. It tends to
\nreduce scientific issues in such a way that it views anything
\noriginating outside Islam as dangerous.\"<\/p>\n
Ramage said the teaching of tolerance, for example, was done
\nin a compulsory manner. \"How it is practiced in real life is
\nbeing ignored.\"<\/p>\n
A participant asked whether culture should come before
\neducation.<\/p>\n
Sindhunata said the nation's early leaders such as Sukarno,
\nMohammad Hatta and Tan Malaka could differ in their political
\nviews but still remain good friends.<\/p>\n
\"Why? Because they were cultured people. And at the same time
\nthey had very good education backgrounds. In fact, there were
\nmany problems in parliament in the 1950s but there were never
\nphysical clashes,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Today, he says, a difference of opinion can end in a brawl.
\n\"It is often said that Indonesian people like to smile but the
\nsmile is insincere. Deep down in our hearts we are actually cruel
\nhuman beings.\"<\/p>\n
\"Gotong royong (mutual help) is said to be the hallmark of the
\nJavanese. But this is only true in cases of a kampong community
\nevent ... they are actually very individualistic. This indulgence
\nin cultural deception has become our social illness,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A participant, Hasnan Habib, said the discussion limited the
\ndefinition of education to the formal education received in
\nschool.<\/p>\n
Education, he said, \"includes values inculcated at home from
\nthe family, examples given by parents and anything that can be
\nlearned from one's environment.\"<\/p>\n
Buchori said while education comprised formal, nonformal and
\ninformal education, \"For one to engage oneself in a lifelong
\neducation requires a strong formal-education foundation.\"<\/p>\n
Ramage said that an education about democracy, for example,
\ndid not have come through a formal education.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, Buchori said that despite the intricate issues
\nof education, there was always hope of building a better system.<\/p>\n
The seminar was held in conjunction with the launching of
\nseven books, including three by Mochtar Buchori. (Anticipatory
\nEducation), all by Mochtar Buchori.<\/p>\n
The four other books on education are by Sindhunata.<\/p>\n
The seminar was jointly organized by The Asia Foundation,
\nBasis magazine, Kanisius publishing company and The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The writer is a journalist with The Jakarta Post.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/politics-education-inseparable-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }