Basic education for children

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