Education should spur altruistic development

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.