Indonesia needs more than additional budget to improve education system
Indonesia needs more than additional budget to improve education system
Hopes for better education for all soared after the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) endorsed the fourth batch of
amendments to the 1945 Constitution, including the article on
education, early this month.
Limited budget has been one of the main constraints in
providing quality education for all. The Assembly's decision to
insert a clause on the education budget in Article 31 on
education was therefore a welcomed breakthrough. The amended
article stipulates that the state allocates a minimum of 20
percent of the total state and regional budgets to meet the costs
of national education.
Despite this encouraging development, the phenomenal budget
allocation has been met with mixed reactions, with skeptics
casting doubts on whether the new legislation can produce a
better education system.
The amendment to the article on education itself was not
without debate. Legislators who were against the clause said that
it could easily be used by rival politicians to oust the
president in case he or she failed to provide the funds due to
unfavorable economic conditions.
This is, of course, regretful. Instead of giving a more
reasonable explanation, the legislators simply made excuses, an
indication that they did not perceive education as an important
matter.
The education sector, which is often sidelined by other
issues, fared better in 1985 when the government allocated up to
17.6 percent of the state budget for educational purposes. It
should also be noted that the high budget allocation was made
possible by Indonesia's impressive economic performance.
Noted sociologist Ignas Kleden said, however, that budget was
not the main problem.
"I think budget is not the main problem. The question is
whether or not we have applied the correct philosophy for our
education," Ignas added during an interview on Tuesday.
He said the education system during the New Order era had
completely ignored the need to nurture the individual, to create
autonomous, independent, and accountable human beings.
"Without an education that can develop the maturity of each
individual, we will only have mobs who can easily be used for any
purpose."
Education, therefore, must also create individuals with a
moral conscience and social awareness, he said.
Actually Indonesia had a strong concept of education when
pioneer educationist Ki Hadjar Dewantara introduced an informal
school, Taman Siswa, in 1922.
According to Ki Hadjar, education must be aimed at creating
humans, either as individuals or members of their community, who
have dignity and morality.
The concept was adopted in Law No. 2/1989 on National
Education which states, "The national education system aims at
creating a nation of intellectuals and developing the Indonesian
people as whole beings, people with faith in one God, who have
morality, knowledge, skills, physical and mental health, a strong
personality and a sense of responsibility toward the society and
nation."
Although the concept is quite clear, Indonesia's education
system has failed to produce individuals as set out in the goals
of the law on national education.
What's wrong with our education system?
Educator Arief Rachman said the criteria set for good
performance at school was one of the reasons behind the failure
in the education system. Almost all schools identified brilliant
students as those with high grades.
"We overlooked morality."
Arief recently evaluated the current situation in the national
education and revealed four weaknesses in the system.
"The four weaknesses are the low academic standards, the low
quality of teachers, librarians and staff, unequal access to
education and the low quality of educational infrastructure," he
pointed out.
According to Arief, better education can be realized through
improvement in the quality of teachers. Teachers should encourage
students to engage in discussion and debate instead of memorizing
the right answers.
In other words, Ignas added, achievement in education could be
accomplished through open discussion between teachers and
students.
He suggested that the nation learn from the New Order
experience, when education only produced "yes persons" instead of
critical individuals.
"The authoritarian New Order government preferred obedient
people to critical individuals," he added.
Article 31 of the amended 1945 Constitution:
1. Every citizen has the right to education.
2. Every citizen shall have basic education and the government
shall finance it.
3. The government sets up a national education system to improve
faith, morality, and the intellectual capacity of the nation as
regulated further by law.
4. The state shall give priority to the education budget by
allocating a minimum of 20 percent of the total state and
regional budgets to meet the costs of national education.
5. The government develops science and technology by promoting
religious values and national unity for the advancement of
civilization and prosperity of mankind.