Education needs radical review

Education needs radical review

By Valentinus Irawan

JAKARTA (JP): As the yearly observation of National Education
Day approaches, many teachers will be feeling uneasy. One reason
for the uneasiness is that their salaries will be cut to
"commemorate the occasion".

Although the cut has come to be taken for granted as a yearly
routine measure, it is still worrisome. This is especially true
if the recent increases in transportation costs are considered.
In addition, there is inflation and the meager income of teachers
in Indonesia.

The other reason is that -- as on every National Education Day
-- the teachers are expected to again listen to the same speech
from their superiors. This consists of rhetoric interspersed with
such subjects as "development" and "modernization", "development
of human resources", "science and technology", "link and match",
"demand of the market", and others.

These are the terms which most often disturb the conscience of
teachers who care deeply about educational practices and
policies.

Most Indonesian teachers probably do not fully understand the
meanings of the high-sounding words. But the teacher's concerns
do not arise from their inability to grasp the meanings of those
"mystical terms". It is the ever-widening gap between the ideal
and the reality which confuses their humble minds.

Many decision makers as well as prominent persons have a
tendency of telling the public that Indonesia needs to design its
education to meet market demand and to develop its human
resources, science and technology in order to achieve
modernization.

For most teachers, these things seem to be out of the realm of
their everyday experiences. What they face are textbooks full of
foreign concepts that -- for the average student -- are hard to
swallow, rigid lesson guides that leave no room for creativity
and mostly passive students who shun their studies. Then there is
the latest fad: student brawls.

Important questions need to be addressed, such as do the
majority of Indonesians really need science and technology? If
so, what kind of science and technology is appropriate for
Indonesia? Is development and modernization really necessary?
These fundamental questions are seldom being discussed.

Instead of developing a system of education that is based on
a solid philosophical foundation, decision makers in the field of
education seem to be more interested in devising an educational
system that can best serve the industry.

The result is frustrated students who are more familiar with
alcohol and drugs than with books, alienated students who do not
hesitate to kill their friends when offended, or opportunistic
students who prefer to cheat to obtain goods grades rather than
work hard to acquire the knowledge which is necessary for their
future.

When these students complete their studies and -- for whatever
reasons -- the world of industry does not accept them, they will
become jobless educated young people who have no experience to
start their own businesses.

It is true that, to some extent, education needs to be linked
with the realm of work. Young people should prepare themselves to
join the workforce. For them, education (to a certain degree)
can help ensure economic advancement and job security.

However, what is meant by "work" here must not be viewed as
working in the industrial sector only. There are many ways to
earn a living. Moreover, working is only one aspect among the
various aspects of human beings. There are still many other
aspects that may also be developed through education.

In addition, the biggest part of the population consists of
farmers, fishermen and low-paid workers who earn their living
from both the formal and informal sectors. For the children of
this majority, a system of education that is oriented towards the
science and high technology of the affluent North is not that
suitable. It is only appropriate for students who want pursue
studies a university education.

Most parents, however, do not have sufficient money to
finance university education for their children. With the limited
ability of the industry to accommodate the students who have
completed their studies, and with the scant availability of
up-to-date, quality science and technology curriculum at the
primary and secondary education level, students will not be
prepared to work in the industrial sector. What makes matters
worse, their educational background does not teach them to be
explorative, creative and innovative in dealing with life. Thus,
the students are placed in an awkward and difficult position.

The experiences of our neighboring countries may well
illustrate this point. Formal education in the Philippines and
India, which adopted Western educational concepts, has reached a
relatively high level of quality. Unfortunately, this achievement
has not been followed by a corresponding improvement in the
living standards of the majority of the two countries'
populations.

Joblessness and poverty are still acute problems in the two
countries. Also, in both countries, education to a certain degree
even contributes to the widening gap between the very affluent
minority and the poor majority.

In a country like Indonesia, where a great portion of the
people live and work outside the industrial sector, it seems more
appropriate to develop a model of education that is not geared to
the western model, with its heavy emphasis on science and
technology.

It is more reasonable to devise a system of education which
pays attention to the most urgent practical needs of all the
people, and especially to the needs of the students themselves.

Maybe it is better to invite students to satisfy their
curiosity, develop their abilities and talents, and pursue their
interests. The teachers need only to guide them in exploring the
richness and many possibilities of life. Once the students have
reached maturity and integrity, they will be ready to face life
on their own.

It seems appropriate today to discuss these fundamental
issues. We have been dwelling too long in the paradigm of
development. Ideas concerning development are good for election
campaigns, but in terms of education, they obstruct rather than
enlighten students. Let's discuss the issues from the point of
view of the students, the parents, the teachers, and the overall
society.

The writer is a school teacher living in Bekasi.