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)