Education needs human touch

Education needs human touch

Simon Marcus Gower, Director, Research and Development,
Harapan Bangsa School, Tangerang, Banten

As Indonesia commemorates its National Education Day on May 2,
there are those that would portray education here as lurching
from crises to crises. The questions that linger over religion in
schools, over the apparent need for reform of much of the
education infrastructure, and the persistent fears of moral decay
by under performing schools, all suggest a chaotic condition.

Every nation that seeks the civilizing benefits of a system of
education experiences and must try to overcome such challenges
and problems. For education to be of value and relevance it has
to be in a state of flux. If education is in stasis, then it
truly is the nursery of chaos and moral decline. It has to reject
the status quo and live in the future tense.

But there is one critical factor that needs to, that must be
maintained and encouraged to take on the burden and great
responsibilities that are intrinsic to any human endeavor that
incorporates ideals of altruism and supporting the needs of
others. The greatest resource that any education institute has is
its human resource.

This is perhaps where education here most needs development.
The teachers, the lecturers, the principals, the university deans
need to be nurtured, supported and encouraged to be real and
deeply committed educators.

They need to be valued and appreciated for the great gift that
they can give to a nation; but without proper backing they may be
left to become uncommitted, complacent and even become part of
the problem rather than the solution for education.

It can be easy for teachers to become cynical and under
committed when and if they are not valued and appreciated. But
real teachers find their own value and appreciation for what they
do. The kind words and compliments of others merely becomes the
icing on the cake.

However real teachers can rarely be molded or created by
teacher training colleges. Too often such colleges become centers
of extended brainwashing in which real creativity and originality
is only marginally allowed to seep through.

The ever-changing nature of education demands that teachers
are people that can handle change. Often, though, teachers that
have been "run through the mill" of teacher training end up jaded
and divorced from powers of originality and creativity. Often,
the best teachers are born to teaching or graduate to teaching
from life's great university of experience.

Personal qualities and characteristics are critical for
teachers -- these would include a love of people and a love of
knowledge and learning but also the ability to communicate and
share.

Many countries now suffer from shortfall in the number of
qualified teachers they have to supply to their schools. A common
response to this is to attempt to attract "non-teachers" into
teaching. This is perhaps a novel approach but it is also
entirely valid.

For example in a school in the United Kingdom the headmaster
and his board of governors supported the introduction of people
"returning to education" to become teachers. Consequently this
school employed a "new" teacher of 42 years of age.

This "new" teacher had previously run his own small business
and had been a farmer in Scotland. He was employed to teach
economics and geography and he quickly became one of the most
liked and respected teachers within the school. His depth of real
world experiences made his classes lively and successful for the
students who consistently enjoyed higher grades -- not least
because they were highly motivated by their teacher.

This "new" and untypical teacher was a success because of his
experiences and his character. His character and personality and
openness of mind allowed him to become a real teacher.

Indonesia commemorates its National Education Day on May 2
because that was the birth date of a visionary figure for
Indonesian education. Soewardi Soerjaningrat envisioned education
as a tool of empowerment. Education as a means for students to
realize their own abilities and be given the opportunities to
explore and develop them. Soewardi saw the vital role of the
teacher in this scenario and defined it as being one of a guide
helping the students along their own paths to fulfillment.

His vision, then, was very much one of teaching and educating
with a human touch. Teachers are there to humanely and
encouragingly bring out the best in their students. This is a
vision that has perhaps been sidelined by too many people in
education in this country.

Too many educators possess characteristics of stubbornness or
wish to exist as dictatorial controllers. It is essential that
educators have a deep and abiding human touch to all that they
do. Education should not be about controlling our young people;
it should be about altruistically helping them to meet the
challenges of the future.

If educators in Indonesia can truly aspire to high ideals of
altruistic education, we can reach a point where we may truly
celebrate the education day of Indonesia and celebrate successful
education results that will help build this nation.