Science still not a popular career field<\/p>\n
Nobel Prize Winner Claude N. Cohen Tannoudji was very impressed
\nwhen seeing hundreds of young scientists around the world
\ngathered at the recent Physics Olympiad in Nusa Dua, Bali, last
\nweek.<\/p>\n
The distinguished scientist openly expressed his happiness to
\nsee so many young people wanting to follow his path in the world
\nof science.<\/p>\n
"It is refreshing for me to be with these inspiring and
\ntalented youth coming from around the globe who all share a
\nstrong motivation in science," exclaimed the scientist, when
\ndelivering a special award to the Olympiad's absolute winner Ngoc
\nDuong Dang from Vietnam on July 29.<\/p>\n
There is no denying that only a few youngsters are interested
\nin science. For many of them, science is something very difficult
\nto comprehend and working in the science world is something to be
\navoided, if possible.<\/p>\n
Choosing a fast-track and easy-to-get-rich career as a lawyer,
\ndoctor or banker is everybody's dream.<\/p>\n
In many parts of the world, especially in developing
\ncountries, a scientist is a low-income and unpopular profession.<\/p>\n
Take Junita, a graduate from the physics department of a
\nprestigious university in Indonesia. She chose to pursue a career
\nin a multinational bank rather than become a scientist or a
\nlecturer at her department.<\/p>\n
"My job is promising. With my present salary, I can save quite
\na lot of money. Imagine what it would be like if I worked in a
\ncramped laboratory," said Junita who graduated with honors.<\/p>\n
Harianta, a physics graduate from a Bandung university in West
\nJava, decided to work at the state-owned telecommunication
\ncompany. Now, his career is thriving.<\/p>\n
Graduates of physics or other natural, applied sciences in
\nIndonesia are now spreading to various professions like bankers,
\ncomputer programmers, journalists, civil servants, businessmen
\nand front desk telephone operators.<\/p>\n
Yohanes Surya, who gained his Phd in physics from the College
\nof William and Mary in Virginia, expressed his concern about
\nscience education in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
"It is a vicious circle. Science has always been unpopular in
\nIndonesia and we do very little to popularize the subject and to
\nattract the interest of young people in science," said Yohanes.<\/p>\n
Thanks to the media as well as publishing companies, there are
\na number of interesting science columns and programs appearing in
\nnewspapers like Kompas and Tempo dailies.<\/p>\n
Television stations including SCTV and TPI are famous for
\ntheir science programs. SCTV's Galileo Quiz was one of the
\nstation's most popular shows, while TPI's Discovery programs
\nprovide visual experiences for both young and adult viewers
\nalike.<\/p>\n
Johanes went further, saying the way science is taught at
\nlocal schools -- from elementary to high school, is really out of
\ndate, compared to Western countries and neighbors like Singapore
\nand Malaysia.<\/p>\n
"Most school science material emphasizes old theories, written
\nwords, rarely on exciting experiments. This is so ineffective
\nbecause science is just about everyday things," he said. Besides,
\nschool textbooks are too burdensome. In a quarter period or four
\nmonths, students have to learn a lot of material, not to mention
\ntheir mountains of homework.<\/p>\n
"We must do something immediately to change the teaching
\nmethod and the science learning system if we want to develop
\nscience. The present system burdens both students and teachers,"
\nYohanes insisted.<\/p>\n
Rudy Noerhadi, a high school teacher from Surabaya in East
\nJava, admitted he often felt helpless when presenting science
\nmaterial in his class.<\/p>\n
"Most of us only try to deliver all the material in the
\ntextbook. We do not know whether our students understand it or
\nnot. We are under pressure to achieve our target over the school
\nyear," said Rudi, who attended a national conference for physics
\nteachers in Nusa Dua last week.<\/p>\n
Ketut Killa, a principal at SMPN I junior high school in
\nDenpasar, also agreed the teaching of science in local schools is
\nboring and uninspiring.<\/p>\n
"Lack of facilities is another problem. Many schools are not
\nequipped with necessary facilities like laboratories and
\nequipment for scientific experiments," he said.<\/p>\n
When talking about school facilities, Indonesia seems to lag
\nbehind other countries in the world, even poor ones like Pakistan
\nand Vietnam.<\/p>\n
Lilik Hendrajaya, professor at the Bandung Institute of
\nTechnology, explained that Indonesia has never been serious in
\ndeveloping its education system.<\/p>\n
Since the New Order period, the government has spent only 6
\npercent of the national budget compared to Malaysia that
\nallocates 30 percent of its national budget for education.<\/p>\n
"Indonesia has a lot of brilliant students like those who
\nparticipated in the Olympiad, but the school system here prevents
\nthem from thriving," he said. The worst thing is that the
\ngovernment has never paid attention to the growing number of
\n"clever" students.<\/p>\n
"The government and the country's universities have never
\nrealized our great potential. It's a pity because foreign
\nuniversities are more proactive in netting Indonesia's best
\nstudents," Lilik said.<\/p>\n
During the opening of the Olympiad on July 22, President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri had promised to improve the country's
\neducation system and to provide places for talented students. But
\nmany doubt that. Many people believe that promises by politicians
\nor government officials are hardly likely to be fulfilled.<\/p>\n
Yohanes urged the government to pay more attention to these
\n"bright students".<\/p>\n
"They are the nation's assets who will develop the country in
\nthe future."<\/p>\n
-- Rita A. Widiadana<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/science-still-not-a-popular-career-field-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }