The failings of computer classes in local schools<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Each time I look back on when I was still an
\nelementary school pupil, I cannot help being amazed at how much
\nour school system has changed. Most striking is perhaps the
\nchange in the main mission. Our schools seem to have shifted from
\nbeing a social institution that provides education for the masses
\nto being money-making centers through which individuals can
\nbecome rich quickly.<\/p>\n
I am no expert on our school system, but as the parent of a
\nten-year-old girl I realize how I'm merely one of its captive
\ncustomers. I send my daughter to school, pay her school fees, and
\nallow her teachers to treat her in the same way as workers in the
\nassembly line of a computer factory put together the components
\nof a PC. The only difference between our schools and a computer
\nmanufacturer is perhaps that at the former quality has long
\nstopped being an issue. If a PC we buy turns out to be defective,
\nwe can claim our money back. We cannot do this with schools, as
\nthey're not required to give us any warranty for their products.<\/p>\n
Cash cow<\/p>\n
And this basic philosophy has been used to advantage by school
\nprincipals, school owners, as well as the independent
\nentrepreneurs who cooperate with them. Realizing that parents
\nwant their children to study computers at school, they add
\ncomputer studies to the curriculum, and charge for it.
\nUnfortunately, the government endorses this.<\/p>\n
The business of running a computer class at our formal schools
\nis a highly lucrative one. Currently, most schools collect around
\nRp 12,000 from each student per month. Supposing the students
\nhave to pay \"only\" ten times a year, the extra annual revenue
\nthey receive will be Rp 120,000 per student. Suppose the school
\nhas 500 students, the additional revenue will amount to Rp 60
\nmillion per year.<\/p>\n
What do they have to provide? I talked to a number of pupils
\nand students from various schools, and most of them told me that
\ntheir school provided only about 25 to 30 cheap PCs of the 286 or
\n386 class. Most of them also told me that during each computer
\nclass they used the PC for 15 minutes at the most.<\/p>\n
And this computer class does not cost much to run. Each
\nstudent is given two blank diskettes at the beginning of the
\nschool year. You can get a blank diskette for Rp 500 in Jakarta.
\nIn many schools, the students still have to pay even for
\nphotocopies of their homework. The teacher does not have to be
\nhighly qualified, since, like almost all other subjects at our
\nschools today, what the students have to do is memorize the
\nmaterial. Maintenance cost is minimal, too, since in reality
\nthese old PCs are hardly used.<\/p>\n
Based on the rough calculation above we can see how the
\ninitial investment for the school's computer class will be
\namortized within a single year. The following year, and the years
\nthereafter, the schools or the entrepreneurs who cooperate with
\nthem will simply make a profit of Rp 60 million. Doesn't it sound
\nrather like the toll-road business?<\/p>\n
Why is this wrong?<\/p>\n
Studying computers at school is wrong not only because it's
\nmerely a money-spinner for certain individuals, but also because
\nit doesn't really teach students how to use the computer.<\/p>\n
For her computer class, my daughter, for example, has to
\nmemorize the definition of \"internal and external commands\". Not
\nonly did the definitions given by her teacher not mean anything,
\nthese terms no longer have any use in the real world today. In
\nthe old days, when we still lived in the character-based DOS
\nworld, these terms were used to distinguish DOS commands that
\ncould be issued when you only had the COMMAND.COM in the
\nsubdirectory from those that required their own .COM or .EXE
\nfiles. Today, most of us work in a Windows 3.X environment and
\nsome of us have even moved to Windows 95. We rarely use DOS.
\nClearly, \"internal and external commands\" are of no relevance
\nwhatsoever anymore.<\/p>\n
Why have our so-called education experts outlined a syllabus
\nthat includes memorizing obsolete computer terms such as the ones
\nabove? Because, just like in other subjects, there has to be
\nenough material to fill the entire twelve years our children
\nspend at their elementary and high schools.<\/p>\n
Music is another good example. My daughter has to learn to
\nread musical notation when what she actually needs is the
\nopportunity to learn and sing children songs. Physical education
\n(PE) is another sad example. She has to memorize the various
\nrules of the soccer game, the name of each movement in self-
\ndefense, in addition to tons of other useless material.<\/p>\n
In short, the teaching of computer studies at our schools
\ntoday is ethically wrong because it does not teach the skills
\nmost parents think their children are getting. It is wrong
\nbecause not only does it add to the burden of the students who
\nare already struggling with heaps of materials they have to
\nmemorize, it has also become a covert device for ripping off the
\nparents -- the captive customers.<\/p>\n
What must be done<\/p>\n
The problem is, parents do not realize that, no matter how
\nsophisticated and marvelous they may be, computers are just a
\ntool. Most parents are disillusioned by so much worship of this
\nelectronic device.<\/p>\n
Because it is just a tool, we have to use it. We don't have to
\nstudy it. Isn't it true that, although most of us are supposed to
\nbe able to drive a car, not all of us need to become mechanics or
\nautomobile engineers?<\/p>\n
Just like a car, or even a bicycle, one cannot master the
\ncomputer if one only uses it for a quarter of an hour each week.
\nJust like mastering driving, mastering computers requires
\npractice -- preferably accomplishing a real task.<\/p>\n
Seasoned computer users do not need to know how the machine
\nworks. Over the years they have interacted intimately with it,
\nthey have built up some kind of intuition. They do the basic
\nthings, such as to create a new file, save a file and print a
\nfile automatically -- in the same manner an experienced driver
\nmakes sure the gear is in neutral before starting the engine.<\/p>\n
With current methods, we cannot expect our children to ever
\ndevelop the intuition they need in order to be able to use the
\ncomputer effectively. Therefore, I definitely believe that
\ncomputer studies should be dropped from school curricula. I
\nbelieve that computer training should be left to independent
\ninstitutions or private courses, because these people can provide
\nmore professionally organized computer classes. Because we can
\npull our children out and choose another computer training course
\nfor them any time, they have no choice but to give us the best.
\nWhen schools provide computer training there is simply no
\ncompetition and therefore they don't have to worry about the
\nquality of their teaching.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, what can the schools do to make our children
\ncomputer-literate? During my visit to Australia earlier this
\nyear, I was told by Kevin Sumption, head of the Information
\nTechnology Center at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, that at many
\npublic schools in that country computer studies are tied to
\nEnglish. Students are not taught directly how to use a computer,
\nbut they may be required to submit their assignments in the form
\nof computer printouts. How they do it or where they do it is up
\nto them.<\/p>\n
In the accompanying picture, courtesy of the Powerhouse
\nMuseum, you can see a young boy proudly comparing the wax object
\nhe has just cut with the CAD\/CAM system provided by the museum
\nwith the design on the computer screen. Children in this country,
\nas well as in many other countries, do not have to learn about
\ncomputers, they learn to use computers. Why can't we learn from
\nthem?<\/p>",
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