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.