Investment in education towards global society

Investment in education towards global society

Suroso
Contributor/Yogyakarta

One form of investment to which Indonesian people do not pay
enough attention is investment in the field of education. This
has resulted in the fact that Indonesia lacks a competitive
advantage in its economy and human resources.

The added value that Indonesia would require in order to get
up to the same level as the G-7 countries (Japan, the U.S.,
Canada, Italy, France, Germany and the UK) appears to be
virtually unattainable.

Among Asian nations, Indonesia is still lagging behind in
terms of education compared to India, Japan, China and Korea.
Indonesia has not yet been able to develop advanced technology or
prestigious universities.

The best universities in Indonesia are not listed in the 100
top universities in the Asia Pacific region, let alone the 500
top universities in the world. Universities in Japan, Korea,
Australia, America and the Western European countries dominate
the list of the world's top universities.

The responsibility for education is not only the
responsibility of the government but also of society.

Therefore, visionary educational institutions are necessary to
change the nation's mentality, which has been degenerating due to
corruption, violations of human rights, abuses of power, and
greed, into a mentality that is humanistic, altruistic, and full
of integrity and responsibility.

Establishing a visionary educational institution to prepare
compassionate, religious and creative human beings is costly.
Preparing human beings with such characteristics needs a lot of
support in the form of excellent human resources, equipment
(software and hardware), and management.

Why is the requirement of excellence indispensable in this
global era? A tree bearing excellent fruit will not be cut down;
it will be well maintained in order to produce more fruit.

Tony Blair in his plans for the next 20 years puts a great
deal of emphasis on education. George W. Bush in America has
drawn up plans for the development of education until 2020. These
two developed countries still regard education as a central issue
that is essential for promoting their added value.

The progress to be made by these nations over the next 20
years is being planned and prepared now. In short, despite the
expense, present investment in education will bring about great
rewards in the future. The success or the failure of a nation's
economy depends very much on the resources it devotes to research
and development for both products and services.

Therefore, Indonesia needs to establish educational
institutions as soon as possible that cater to students who have
the curiosity, creativity and imagination needed to make new
discoveries and breakthroughs based on cutting-edge research and
development. Internationally certified educational institutions,
in addition to economic health, are commonly used as a criterion
for judging the developmental ranking of a country.

A student may need to spend Rp 1.3 million (about US$150) per
month on tuition fees in a school tht adheres to international
standards. By Indonesian standards, this may seem very expensive.
However, if the school is internationally acknowledged and its
graduates can play a role at the international level, such an
investment will be well worth it. A good education does not come
cheap.

An educational institution has to recruit staff and create a
system involving technology, management, budgeting, and values
that is capable of maintaining its reputation and standards. As a
result, it is impossible to manage an educational institution in
a casual manner; it must be treated as a noble endeavor -- one
that is of superior quality. To establish an educational
institution with eternal values, and excellence in terms of
quality and faith, a proper investment is essential for the
institution to prosper in the future.

The quality of the nation, which is currently low as stated
above, needs to be improved, not by sending the best students to
study abroad, but by establishing excellent schools that are
internationally acknowledged, capable of providing the knowledge
that is needed, and that have Indonesian attitudes, characters
and leadership ethos.

Education is not only a transfer of knowledge through subject
matter. Education not only tries to satisfy intelligent students'
needs, but also caters for and serves students in developing
their interests, talents, motivations and creative potential to
the maximum.

The preparation of Indonesian students to be Nobel winners in
physics, chemistry, biology, and humanities in 2020 should start
now through the establishment of educational institutions capable
of maximizing the creative potential and talents of students.

It has been proven that Indonesian students are able to win
awards in the physics, chemistry and biology Olympiads when they
are appropriately motivated and taught. The main task of
educational institutions in Indonesia at present should be to
mold top-class human resources that are capable of competing and
cooperating with people in developed countries by providing them
with the means of communicating internationally as early as
possible.

Without having to forget about Indonesia's religious culture,
educational institutions have to adopt the educational methods
and materials that people in developed countries apply and learn.

Generally, developing countries pay less attention to the
importance of investment in education. This can be seen from the
minimal budget allocated by the government on education. Although
article 31 of the 1945 Constitution states that 25 percent of the
national budget must be allocated for education, the facts show
that this has been nothing more than words so far, and will be
difficult to put into practice as most of our politicians do not
have a vision that encompasses the developing of our nation
through education.

Therefore, to establish educational institutions of an
international standard, we cannot rely on the government alone,
but will also need the capital investment of others.

Firstly, the state budget is not sufficient to establish
educational institutions of an international standard and
quality. This is proven by the fact that thousands of elementary
school buildings are rundown, a lot of schools lack teachers and
adequate educational facilities, and universities in Indonesia
are underachieving because they have yet to reached
internationally accepted standards.

Society may be able to establish educational institutions of
high quality by entering into collaboration with visionary
entrepreneurs to build a society that is capable of competing at
the international level.

Good strategies, management, public relations and promotion
will be needed for the management of schools and universities in
collaboration with business. Australia is an example of a country
that regards education as an industry that is capable of
providing economic advantage. It might be necessary to establish
twin universities supported by the national education system.

Secondly, society is as yet unaware of the importance of
investing in education. Investors are still of the opinion that
putting their money in education is a long-term investment that
does not yield quick profits.

Universities as state-owned bodies corporate (BHMN), like UI,
ITB, IPB, and UGM, and some of the better private universities,
could become internationally recognized universities by
establishing collaborative networks for study programs of
excellence in order to attract students from overseas to learn
and to forge future crossborder relationships, which in turn
would serve to increase international trust.

Indonesia will be able to develop schools and universities of
an international standard if all segments in society accept the
need for a new educational paradigm and system that stresses the
need for excellence in education.

If necessary, an educational revolution may be considered,
similar to what Sutan Takdir Alisyahbana achieved with his
Western orientation, while at the same time avoiding conflict
with Indonesian values.

Good education will make good people -- people who are
knowledgeable and believe firmly in God so that they remain
honest, abjure anarchy and hold human rights in high regard.
This, however, will only become a reality if a significant number
of business people become convinced that investment in education
can change society. -- The writer is a lectrurer at the Faculty
of Language and Arts (FBS), University of Yogyakarta.