Basic education for children

I arrived at a big television station in Jakarta holding a copy of a videotape, which contains a documentary showing the results of the implementation of basic education in Brazil. All the way to that important television station I was looking at the people, especially the young people on the streets, thinking ahead to the future, how people could be better with more basic education, such as respecting each other, the differences of race, religion and behavior. Yes, almost the same story also happened in Brazil.

Many people in Brazil used to think that education was up to the government. All school problems or the absence of schools in the cities were blamed on the government. Definitely, the government is fully responsible for education. Only the government can provide free schools for all citizens. Only the government can teach the citizens to respect each other because all human beings are equal; color, race or whatever do not matter.

The country is one. The respect for the idea of the nation is, many times mistakenly taken. Nobody can love a country which does not provide a sense of love for all its citizens. Love only really exists when there is reciprocity. The governments are fully responsible for developing this feeling, showing respect for citizen rights without showing privilege to one or another, one group or another, based on all kinds of discrimination.

Receiving basic education, such as showing the population the bad habits of everyone, for example, had a big impact on the Brazilian society. The government started showing on television things like people throwing garbage on the streets. Calling the car factories attention to the quantity of pollution their cars were adding to the air every minute. Telling everyone by radio, television and newspapers that "when you destroy a public bus", you are destroying your own way to go to your job, everyday. So, the population started discovering that everything public comes from taxes and taxes are paid by each citizen.

From there, they realized that education is not solely provided by the government. Everyone is fully responsible for education. It starts at home. So, if you behave badly outside, you are just telling everyone the kind of education you have at home. If you do not have a good education at home you can try to pay attention to what others do. Nobody should complain just to the government. The government is only the reflex of the population. Every population has the government that it deserves. Education is, then, the key for a developed nation. You only grow if you get education. Does it mean that education must be a self- commitment? Yes.

Meeting Miss Sabina at the television station was a very disappointing moment. When I tried to explain that I had a video about a successful basic education project in Brazil, suggesting that her television station could create a program using that tape (because Indonesia's problems of education are very similar to the Brazil's problem) she said: "Listen to me Sir, this is a commercial television station. We do not have time for education. Here, the seconds are counted in U.S. dollars." I replied: "But television is part of society, which means it should have commitments to the people and one of those is education." She said: "Mister, I have things to do, if you'll excuse me..."

Feeling very sad, I left the television station. The young people are still hanging around the streets, doing nothing, having an empty mind. How can I get to them, give the hope of education free? I don't know. But, I hope that some day the Indonesian citizens will realize the need for that commitment. This is a beautiful country with a bright future.

JOSE JOACIR DOS SANTOS

Cultural Attache

Embassy of Brazil

Jakarta