Caught up in the myth of school as education

Sekolah Itu Candu (School is a Drug); By Roem Topatimasang; Pustaka Pelajar and INSIST (Institute for Social Transformation), Yogyakarta, November 1998; xvii and 139 pages; Rp 11,000

YOGYAKARTA (JP): "Although the situation is difficult, don't give up. Children should stay in school."

It appears this TV public service announcement has hit home. The message reminds the public of the importance of education for our children. Ironically, it is aired between local TV series which are selling dreams. Maybe its broadcast is intended to remind viewers not to forget the hardship of real life. Or, perhaps, like the role of TV series as entertainment, the message is simply intended to entertain the majority of Indonesians facing difficult times.

Apart from the different responses elicited by the ad, there is a meaningful key word in it: school.

Etymologically, the word "school" originates from the Latin skhole, scola, scolae or schola, which literally mean "spare time". So how did the English word "school" come by its modern meaning?

Actually, its meaning is not too different if we trace it back to ancient Greece. During that time, people spent their spare time visiting places or people considered knowledgeable to learn or ask about important issues. Children, particularly because their parents were occupied with other activities, also followed the same quest for knowledge. Parents trusted their children to the care of smarter members of society. Later, scola matterna, or mothers who take care of their children until a set age, was replaced by scola in loco parentis, an institution responsible for children in their spare time outside the house, which later developed into a "foster mother", "mother who shares knowledge" or alma mater.

In its development, school, scola, scolae or sekolah -- the Indonesian term for "school" -- became a place to study over a designated period of time, not simply to spend spare time (pp. 5-7).

The development of the meaning of school, which also happened in Indonesia, created the understanding that school is a must, especially for children. As a result, however, there is confusion over what "school" and "education" actually mean. To be frank, school should only be a small part of the process of education. Unfortunately, there is the prevailing mind-set that success is measured by how we perform in school, and the understanding is deeply rooted in the community. As a result, few realize that all this time we are justifying engineered but enthralling activities.

The author, Roem Topatimasang, criticizes the attitude of school institutions, including universities, and the community in responding to the case of Eko Sulistyo, a Yogyakarta senior high school student who was dismissed after revealing results of his survey of sexual habits of young people.

School has become a run-in-the-blood tradition, creating a sort of "collective unawareness" within the community. People feel they have lost something precious in their lives if they fail or drop out, especially if it is the school institutions that reject them. The people are forced to accept two realities: the community brands them a loser and, in the long term, they will come to hold this view of themselves. In the end, it is the school which is always right and powerful, never in the wrong. In contrast, people who fail to remain in school are branded losers and must take the blame for failing to live up to expectations (page 101). School has trapped people as it becomes a inseparable part of their lives, which is why the author titled an article Sekolah itu Candu (School is a Drug)

It seems Roem Topatimasang, who also translated and edited Paule Freire's bestselling book Pendidikan Kaum Tertindas (Education of the Oppressed People, LP3ES, 1985), is uneasy with prevailing models of education, especially about school institutions. All of the book's 11 articles as well as the prologue and epilogue question various engineered practices concerning the institution of school, such as tuition fees, uniforms, books, learning methods, even to buildings and its business value. Interestingly, the accusations are not expressed in "school language" (read: scientific), but in everyday, common dialog found within the community. When the author quotes data from various sources, it is simply because he recognizes the opinion of the ones he refers to.

The work shows not only the author's anxiety about the institution of school, but also is a critical reading presented in the relaxed dialog one would find in a coffee shop. So it is not only an exaggeration to expect the book can be read by people from various backgrounds and in coffee shops, on buses, trains or during their spare time, just like the original meaning of the word "school".

-- Widya Prasetyanti

The reviewer is a researcher at the Sovranita Indonesia Foundation in Yogyakarta.