Election agenda should emphasize education

Simon Marcus Gower, Executive Principal, High/Scope Indonesia School, Jakarta

The officially designated period for election campaigning is now upon us and so the streets of Jakarta will increasingly be filled with the color-coded carnivals to celebrate the parties that are taking part in this election. Traffic will become even more congested, convoys of buses, cars and motorbikes will snake their way through the city.

Flags will be waved, the colors of the parties will adorn the streets, and faces will even be painted in party colors. Hopefully all will remain calm and peaceful but almost inevitably safety and security will become an even more important issue for the nation's capital.

In short the capital will witness a colorful spectacle and quite something of a brouhaha of people apparently participating in democracy. Perhaps it could be called democracy "Indonesian- style" or even "Jakarta-style". But in amongst all this brouhaha it has to be hoped that important issues and matters of policy will be discussed. It has to be hoped that the people will not just see an election as an excuse to take to the streets but they will also consider the importance of the election to Indonesia's future.

Matters of policy need to be scrutinized, discussed and debated. Proposals need to be put forward and solutions propounded for the problems still being faced by so many Indonesians. The issues are multiple and various from the economy to environmental issues, to health and housing and regional autonomy and greater wealth sharing, the list could go on and on, but the range and potentially perplexing diversity of electoral concerns is great. However, education really ought to be set as one of the highest priorities and concerns for any and all candidates.

Candidates have, inevitably, to explore and explain what they are going to do in the future; what their plans are for the future improvement of Indonesia's status both domestically and internationally. The future, without doubt, is hugely affected by the educational strength and quality the nation is able to bring to its school-age children.

It has been common experience in elections all around the globe for parties and candidates to promote themselves on "education, education and yes, education". It is perhaps a sign of the times in which we live that the American political scene in the run-up to the presidential elections there in November is so heavily predicated on notions of the economy and the continuing struggle in Iraq. Nevertheless, education has to be a primary concern for any party or candidate that truly seeks to safeguard and enhance the future of a nation.

This is perhaps particularly true in Indonesia, where the need for investment and commitment to education is particularly great. With estimates of the child population here at around eighty (80) million children and estimates that half of the school-age children in Indonesia drop-out of school by the age of thirteen, the statistics alone add up to a major challenge which clearly needs a major commitment from political leaders and the allocation of major amounts of investment.

The grim reality for too many people in Indonesia is that education is not within their financial powers. That estimated drop-out rate of around fifty percent by the age of thirteen is undoubtedly not a consequence of a preferred choice but a consequence of financial necessity. That is, either financial ability to pay for continuing education is simply not there or the children have to end their education to start work to help support the family.

Whichever candidate and party emerges victorious from this election they are obviously going to be indebted to the, majority, poor people in Indonesia. It is, then, quite appropriate that real commitments to the poor people of Indonesia be made. Numerous commentators speak of how rich Indonesia is in terms of its natural resources.

The islands of this archipelago nation are rich in resources and it is only fair, right and democratic that all of the people of this nation get their share in these riches. One of the most beneficial and lasting ways in which people may "share in the nation" is through a better education system.

It is also worthy of consideration that the people of Indonesia also constitute a resource of the nation. In a very real sense, the people of Indonesia constitute a human resource which could and morally and ethically should be better catered for and managed. The wealth of any nation is significantly predicated on the education and intellectual capacity of its people.

There are clear examples of this all around the world. Some of the world's historical and current economic leaders have had only relatively limited natural resources, (think of the United Kingdom and Japan), and yet thanks to their people's strengths they have succeeded.

Indonesia is fortunate to have a considerable array of natural resources that it can capitalize on, but its "human resource" could be better utilized and so capitalized upon. This is not to suggest that the people of Indonesia should be used, abused and taken advantage of but it is to suggest that they could receive more so that they, in turn, may give more back to the prosperity of the nation.

Currently, the portion of the national budget allocated for education is evidently insufficient to meet the educational needs of Indonesian children. At less than five percent of the overall budget there are those that consider it an embarrassingly small commitment and a quite shameful indictment on those in power and their limited appreciation for and recognition of the importance of education.

There may be those that would claim that greater financial commitment and investment in education simply cannot be afforded. They may cite the fact that Indonesia has only recently been through economic crises which continue to plague the nation and stymie the prospects for recovery.

But such talk is to dwell in the past and excuse inaction. If Indonesia wishes to avoid the economic and social troubles that have plagued it recently, it needs to become proactive in finding a better way.

There can be no better way forward or a more proactive and diligent response to previous problems than that of good education. Commitment to education empowers people and an empowered people will lead to a better nation economically and socially. Those that would say that education is just too expensive should listen to the poorest people of this nation who are willing to struggle and fight for their children's education.

Herudin, like so many others, came to Jakarta to cari uang (look for money) so that he can send money back to his village for his two daughters and little son to attend school. Living in one rented room in a slum area, he works at two poorly paid jobs just to send a very small amount of money home for their education. Why does he do this? The understandable answer - because he wants them to "have a better life" than he has. He had to leave school at twelve but he still sees the value and need for schooling for his children.

The candidates in this election should have a similar drive and commitment to education. If they fail to commit and allocate investment for education, it will be a mistake that will continue to undermine this country's recovery.

The opinions expressed above are personal.