Five steps to better education

Five steps to better education

Indonesia has fallen behind other countries in education.

I think there are five points to consider for the advancement
of education in this country.

First, parents and teachers should be obliged to give
instructions to students about their study objectives. The
students should be encouraged to study seriously and
systematically. They should be given the opportunity to ask
questions on the material being taught. They should be
discouraged from playing hooky, copying from others, smoking,
taking drugs and engaging in fights.

Second, parents should not be turned into cash cows. They
should be spared the expense of paying contributions for uniform
shoes, illustrated writing books, show tickets, extra books, the
construction of school gates and other things not discussed in
parent-teacher meetings.

Third, teachers should stop taking the easy way out to solve
the problem of their low pay, e.g. forcing students to buy extra
books, join extra lessons which are unnecessary and raise student
grades in exchange for money. Teachers need to strengthen their
association (PGRI) to make it an effective tool for improving
teachers' welfare. They should also be encouraged to deepen their
knowledge to improve themselves in their profession.

Fourth, officials at the education and culture ministry should
stop curtailing teachers' salaries, selling higher grades,
levying commissions on the supply of goods (shoes, tickets,
books, etc.). Switch to other activities to solve money problems
rather than burdening students' parents or teachers, such as
fighting for a larger share in the national budget for education
so salaries will increase. Leading political figures who, during
the election campaign promised to improve education, should fight
hard to fulfill their promise. They should act before their
constituents call for accountability.

Finally, businesspeople should cease using the existing
facilities and practicing monopolies in order to obtain the
highest profit in the shortest possible time. They should honor
business ethics by supplying quality products at affordable
prices.

The quality of education in Indonesia will improve
significantly if there is a concrete change in the mental
attitude of the community.

BASUKI

Bekasi, West Java