Indonesia hopes to wipe out illiteracy in five years time
Indonesia hopes to wipe out illiteracy in five years time
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia must wipe out illiteracy among people
in the 10-44 age bracket by the end of the Sixth Five-Year
Development Plan (Repelita VI), President Soeharto says.
In his speech to mark the 29th International Literacy Day
yesterday he said there are currently six million people in this
age bracket who still cannot read and write.
The campaign to eliminate illiteracy in Indonesia complements
the nine-year compulsory schooling for children between six and
15 years old which was launched this year, he said.
The campaign is also targeted at parents because those who are
illiterate tend to be ignorant about the benefits of higher
education and discourage their children from furthering their
studies after finishing school, Soeharto pointed out. "Parents
who can read and write will encourage their children to pursue a
higher education."
The President described the endeavor as a constitutional task
because the country has a duty to enhance the intellectual
capacity of all its people.
The International Literacy Day actually falls on Sept. 8 but
was only commemorated in Indonesia yesterday because of President
Soeharto's busy schedule. It was earlier slated to be held late
September in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, but this was
postponed because the city was covered by thick haze caused by
forest fires.
This year Indonesia extended the compulsory education scheme
from six years to nine years but given the immense challenge and
the limited facilities for junior high school, the government
said the scheme will cover all children in the six to 15 year age
group within 10 to 15 years.
In contrast, the six year compulsory schooling launched in
1984 has now encompassed most children between six and 12 years
old, thanks to the heavy government investment on school
buildings and teachers.
Budi Utomo
Soeharto said the campaign against illiteracy in Indonesia
dates back to the establishment of the Budi Utomo, the first
nationalist movement in 1908 when Indonesia was still under Dutch
colonial rule.
"The pioneers of national independence fully realized that the
struggle for freedom would be faster if carried out by people
with education," he said.
The endeavor against illiteracy continued after independence.
At the beginning of independence in 1945, about 90 percent of
Indonesians were illiterate. By 1980, the rate had declined to 25
percent. By 1990, it was down to just under 16 percent, but this
still represented about 21.4 million people.
The government is now focusing on the six million people in
the 10-44 age bracket.
Soeharto pointed out that Indonesia's campaign in education
and wiping out illiteracy has been considered so successful that
it won the international Avicena Award from UNESCO.
The President said the government is banking on the PKK, a
women's grassroots movement with government support, to help in
the literacy campaign targeted at adults in rural areas.
About 60 percent of the illiterate people in Indonesia are
women, yet "we all know how important the role of mothers and
women in general is."
He said that besides economic factors, some cultures also
dictate that parents discourage their daughters from pursuing an
education after primary school. Some parents don't even let their
daughters complete primary school, he noted.
Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro in his
speech at the ceremony said that the government's campaign
against illiteracy this year is targeted at one million people.
In the campaign the ministry is also working with other
government agencies, such as the Ministry of Religious Affairs,
the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Armed Forces. One such
operation is called the Bhakti Manunggal Aksara, Wardiman said.
The government is also enlisting the support of various
professions, including entrepreneurs and ulemas in the endeavor
to eradicate illiteracy, he added. (emb)