Education part of political party bond

Education part of political party bond

Pendidikan Antisipatoris (Anticipating Education);
Mochtar Buchori;
Published by Kanisius, Yogyakarta, 2001,;
204 pp;
Rp 23,500.

JAKARTA (JP): It is a pity that as a politician, Mochtar
Buchori does not have the courage to spell out the vision and
mission of a political party in the educational area. Neither
does he touch upon what a political party should do.

In this book, Buchori's independence as an educational
observer gives the impression that he is "hiding" from his
brilliant ideas. He writes, "All views and opinions in this book
are my own and are in no way related to my position as a member
of the Central Advisory Council of the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (Deperpu PDIP).

Buchori should discuss the political aspects of education. It
is his position in the party which will enable him to explain
more clearly what a political party's stance is on education.
There has never been a detailed study on education from the
perspective of a political party in Indonesia. We are curious,
therefore, to find out whether a political party has ever paid
attention to education as part of its commitment.

This question is relevant when it is placed in the present
critical situation. Some people say that the present national
crisis manifests from the failure of our education. This failure
is the result of the disorder in our schools. Our schools are
unable to explain their concerns.

The failure of leading national life has never been blamed on
political parties, which often brag about political education. In
reality, what they teach is the kind of education telling people
how to look for an opportunity and obtain or even seize power. A
party's political propaganda is always about how to win the
general election. The political education that political parties
offer does not make people mature in political practices. It does
not even help them realize themselves as independent people. As a
matter of fact, the essence of education is to help individuals
grow in maturity to realize their existence as human beings.

It is this last item that has become the main idea that
Mochtar Buchori introduces in this book. He wishes to see not
only educational reform, but also educational transformation.
Reform means returning to the basic plan of education which has
been carried out for many years and therefore has the potential
of repeating the same mistakes.

Transformation means moving to another system, which is
fresher and more mature." We must gradually change the nature of
our educational system... from the system of the
industrialization era to that of the reform era."

His forward-looking ideas are expressed in the 12 chapters of
the book. In the first chapter, he writes about Indonesian
schools in their journey towards the 21st century. In the last
chapter, he closes the discussion with social studies and
humanities in Indonesia towards 21st century. It should be
remembered that the articles compiled in this book were written
between January 1996 and December 2000. Within this span of time,
his attention was focused on education in 21st century and
beyond. "We must consider the next two generations," he writes.

To this end, he has come up with at least four changes that
must be introduced if we are really serious in undertaking
educational transformation.

First, reform in the personal value system. This concerns what
personal values we uphold in our common life. Second, reform in
the group value system. This is related to the values that one
jointly adopts in a group. Third, reform in the national value
system, which is connected with the basis of our national life
and statehood. Fourth, to narrow down the gap between the actual
value system and the textual value system. This has to do with
various kinds of incompatibility between expectations and
reality. Or, more definitely, integrity.

Buchori lays great emphasis on the urgency of formulating an
educational system that is forward-looking in its orientation.
Education should not be intended to serve short-term interests.
In his opinion, education must be able to anticipate all future
possibilities. As an educational practitioner, he knows, only too
well, the real problem in the educational sector and therefore
knows what changes must be introduced.

At this juncture he describes educational problems in relation
to the rate of changes that have taken place in the global value
system. He writes about the sociocultural demands of
globalization. Buchori, who is also a consultant for the Economic
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO), USAID and the Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA) also reminds the readers of the importance attached to
promoting a nation's technological capacity through education in
mathematics and natural sciences. As a lecturer at Hamka
Muhammadiyah University, he demands that a university should
possess both professionalism and humanism.

In his foreword, Sindhunata comments, "Buchori stands firm
with classical educational views and values: the formation of a
human being, not the formation of a worker or a breadwinner,
which is the ultimate goal of education, for which there will be
no compromise, in whatever age."

This book is necessary for those who care about education and
the protracted crisis gripping this country. Furthermore, the
book is of greater usefulness because its reflections help us to
return to our essential existence as human beings.

--AA Kunto A, a student at the School of Social and Political
Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, and a journalist at Basis
magazine, Yogyakarta.