Education should spur altruistic development

Simon Marcus Gower, Jakarta

We have in recent weeks passed a couple of significant dates in the Indonesian calendar. Both dates can be attributed to important and visionary figures in the history of this country and to the development of educational thought and philosophy.

April 21 is designated as Kartini Day and May 2 as Education Day thanks to that being the birth date of Ki Hajar Dewantara. Both of these people recognized the great value of education and effectively dedicated their lives to the spread of education and greater access to learning along with all the opportunities that this creates for peoples lives.

Two historical figures, then, standout as examples and mentors for us today. It does, though, seem unfortunate that at the time of these important dates in the Indonesian calendar the news about education in Indonesia has been bleak and disappointing.

The debacle surrounding land swap deals based around the site of a state-run junior high school in south Jakarta has regrettably created yet a further cloud over education for this country. It is entirely possible that all intentions in this regard were both above board and legitimate. Other land and schools having been made available to the teachers, parents and students involved, seems to have been responsive actions toward the needs of those involved in this case. However, there seems to be an abiding bad taste in the mouths of those that hear and speak of this matter.

Claims of drug dealers been active in the vicinity of this school suggest that excuses are being made to defend against accusations of improper conduct, rather than logical reasons for relocation. It is all too easy for observers of this case to conclude that business interests have taken precedence over education. Naturally enough this would be an unfortunate conclusion to come to, but "business" will consistently be seen as the "bully" and education as the downtrodden "underdog".

In fairness, though, it has been reported that one intention for the use of the land in this case once the school building has been vacated was for the development of a college. This would suggest that if inflation is not in highly downtrodden underdog because at least some form of educational institute was still to be considered for this site.

But it is an unavoidable truth that commercial reality holds great power and influence. There is though a duty of care for a civil society to, effectively, restrain the greater excesses of commercialism. There is always the tendency, even the danger, that business interests can be short term in their goals and requirements for returns on investment.

It is, most likely, a difficult truth to face that education is not a short term investment but education is such a necessity and such a requisite for future and long term prosperity and development that any society that wishes to prosper does need that commitment and sense of the "longer term" to really support, secure and engender education for future generations.

Recently a group of students was discussing an essay they had been set for an English test. It came in the form of a question to which they were required to write a response. Broadly, the question asked them to consider whether capitalism was a positive or negative for the world. Interestingly most of the students were coming to the conclusion that capitalism is a positive and progressive development for the world but humanity needs to be able to manage or even, "control it through its intellectuals".

This is, surely, the key for future generations. Development can be wild, even rampant, to the point of being a destructive force and in a real sense the world over now faces this problem. Development combined with the devastating excesses of consumerism is eating away at our world in an unsustainable way. The world needs hearts and minds that are able to address these huge problems rather than naive, short term thinkers that are only players in a short term game of self interest.

This extends, naturally enough, to the world of education. Education needs hearts and minds dedicated to altruistic development rather than short term and personal gain and material enrichment. It has been possible to encounter people that will willingly consider education in terms of "business" and "industrial output". On one level this could be seen as disturbing, as the notion that any school or other educational institute is active in the realms of industrial output is, frankly, perverse.

Schools and other places dedicated to education are places for people and as such should not be considered in terms of outputs or commodities. But on another level, the idea that education is a business is disturbing because it so late blatantly rejects the notion that education is a right. This is something that is long established but regrettably not, perhaps, sufficiently recognized and realized for our world.

For example the 1959 United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child identifies, among other ideals for children, that a child should be able to have free education and that all children should have the opportunity to develop their abilities, their judgment and their sense of responsibility.

"Rights" such as this very directly oust the notion that education is a business or an industry. Education has to be a gift from one generation to the next to meet, as far as is possible, the needs of not only the following generations but also of proceeding generations.

Education from this kind of perspective is far, far more in the realms of altruism than it is in the depths of business or industry. Education needs planning for the future and cannot be consumed by short term business interests or naive concepts of industrial supply and demand.

If education is allowed to deteriorate to such levels, then it is effectively becoming part of the problem for our world, not part of the solution. The great British author H.G. Wells recognized the critical nature of education in his almost frightening statement that "Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe." This powerfully represents the importance of education and highlights how critical visionary altruistic figures are for both the world of education and our world generally.

The writer is Executive Principal of the High/Scope Indonesia School.