Implications of Susilo's political pledges for education

Implications of Susilo's political pledges for education

Mochtar Buchori, Jakarta

After the new Cabinet was sworn in, I was telephoned by a
number of correspondents asking for my comments about the choice
of Bambang Sudibyo as the new minister of education. I said I was
disappointed.

My disappointment stems not so much from the fact that Pak
Bambang Sudibyo is, a newcomer in the field of education, one who
lacks a convincing track record in this field. It comes rather
from the fact that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono seems to
have caved in too much to the politicians demanding seats in the
Cabinet. In fact, the Cabinet that finally emerged involved so
much wheeling and dealing that many people now doubt Susilo's
ability to ever take the country out of the present mess.

To many people, he seems not to have sufficient confidence in
the fact that his rise to the presidency is the result of the
solid political backing given by the people, not by particular
parties. After his attempt to form a strong Cabinet powered by
heavyweight professionals was so roundly subverted, many people
wonder whether it will still be possible now for him to fulfill
his promise to solve the problems of the country, including those
of education, in a fundamental, decisive and swift manner.

President Susilo made solemn pledges in his inaugural address,
some parts of which have far-reaching implications for our
education. From the educational point of view, the most exacting
of all will be his pledge to "free our people from poverty,
ignorance, backwardness and all the problems that prevent the
development of our people's abilities." Placing this pledge in
the present context, he said that this was tantamount to the
challenge of "consolidating our democracy and accomplishing our
reform agenda."

President Susilo was sincere when he made this pledge. It is
not clear, however, whether he fully realizes what this will mean
for the educational policy that has to be formulated. To free
the people from ignorance and backwardness will require an
educational policy that radically departs from the tradition that
has persisted thus far in our education system.

First, we have to be quite specific in identifying the kinds
of ignorance and backwardness that have prevented our people from
cultivating abilities that relevant to present demands. What kind
of knowledge, skills and values must be introduced into our
school programs?

This is an issue that for some time now has been dominating
the debates on Indonesian education. There is the debate, for
example, about whether "intellectuality" or "morality" should be
regarded as the more important aspect of our education. In the
context of the current situation in our schools, the question is
whether "general education" should be made subordinate to
"religious or moral education". The answer is, of course, that
both are of equal importance. The question that still has to be
solved, however, is how to translate this into curriculum
arrangements and classroom practices within the daily operations
of our schools.

No sign of fundamental change in this respect is in sight. We
keep running our schools in the traditional way, which has caused
our people to remain mired in ignorance and backwardness. So,
what is the solution? Who should lead the vanguard in this
respect?

If we look next at the President's pledge to consolidate our
democracy, an equally perplexing question will emerge. It must be
admitted that we as a nation have made very significant progress
in making democracy work in our pluralistic society. But is this
the end point in our efforts to establish democracy? Certainly
not! What needs to be consolidated is the spirit needed to create
democracy that is not only functioning as a political system, but
as a social system and as a value system as well.

What is perplexing is that our value system is still in
transition. What we are experiencing at the moment is a
transformation of our value system upon which our political
system will eventually have to rest.

This means that to make our nation capable of consolidating
democracy, our educational system will have to democratize our
schools. The spirit of democracy can be nurtured only in an
educational environment that is truly democratic. How do we make
our teachers and educators behave in a way that is both
professional and democratic?

It is not clear what the best answers to these questions are,
but whatever they are we can be sure that consolidating our
democracy means revamping our educational system in a thorough
and fundamental manner. At the end, what we need is not only
educational reform, but educational transformation.

And finally, President Susilo's pledge to create "clean and
good governance, which is responsive toward the public and their
aspirations" also has far-reaching consequences for our education
system. Among other things, it means that a new crop of
bureaucrats must be created. Can we rely in this instance on the
notorious Institute of Public Administration (STPDN). It would
not be wise to place too much faith in this institution. Which
educational institution then should be primarily responsible for
grooming the new type of bureaucrat?

To a very large extent the system of formal education will
have to shoulder this responsibility. It will have to educate the
younger generation in a way that will imbue them with the ethical
and intellectual potential to become, after going through
professional training, bureaucrats who are perceptive to the
needs and the aspirations of the people whom they are supposed to
serve.

Going back to the problem of our new minister of education, I
would like to stress here that my disappointment does not signify
any disrespect towards Pak Bambang Sudibyo. After all, I only met
him very recently when a mutual friend introduced me to him.
Whoever is occupying this Cabinet seat will have to marshal every
potential and win the trust of the entire educational community
in the country.

Only then will the public say that the trust placed by the
President in the new minister of education is indeed a well-
placed one. Only then will the public say that the minister of
education has the potential to assist our new President fulfill
his solemn pledges to the people who love, respect, and trust
him.

The writer is a former rector of IKIP Muhammadiyah, Jakarta,
and has a Ph.D. in education from Harvard University.