Is it elite schools, or elitist education?

By Mochtar Buchori

JAKARTA (JP): I attended a very stimulating seminar on theories of education recently. Based on my previous experiences in similar seminars, I had not expected an interesting discussion.

I was wrong! The participants were drawn from a wide field of academic interests, and the clashes among different ways of perceiving and interpreting educational phenomena and questions were emotionally heart-rending, but intellectually fascinating and invigorating.

One of the issues most heatedly debated was the merit of elite schools and elite education. One participant, an economist, argued that we need elite schools to generate an intellectual elite. We need this intellectual elite to improve our nation's performance in many areas of national interest: international trade, foreign policy, banking industries, and the like. He cited a slogan popular among Indonesian economists today: Whereas in 1945 our national battle cry was "Freedom or Death" (Merdeka Atau Mati), twenty-five years hence this will be "Compete or Die".

Three participants, all coming from the field of Education (with a capital "E"), were vehemently opposed to this view. In their opinion, elitist education will create greater inequality in our society. Only the very rich will benefit from elite schools, whereas the majority of Indonesian children will get nothing from these schools. They will still have to study in educational environments that are inferior in many respects. Our task is not to increase this inequality, but to reduce it. Our task is not to create good education for the few, but to provide good education for all.

In my opinion, this debate on elite education was unnecessarily overheated, because "elite education" was confused with "elitist education". In my understanding, "elite schools" are schools which are kept small by limiting the number of students on the basis of a clearly formulated criterion. In any good elite schools, the criteria for accepting students are twofold; one that students are willing to work hard to become high achievers, and two, that they are above average in their intellectual capability. It is not necessary to require students for these schools to be super-rich and super-bright.

The essential characteristics of good elite schools are hard work and a balanced educational program. Balance between physical and mental exercises, balance between physical sciences and social and human sciences, and balance between knowledge about the present and knowledge about the past. It is this kind of educational program which is called "elite education".

The kind of education which is judged as broadening the gap between the privilege few and the handicapped majority is usually called "elitist education". This is an education program designed to create a social elite, not an intellectual elite. In this kind of school it is not hard work and balanced education which are emphasized, but the trappings of elitism: beautiful buildings, beautiful surroundings, expensive school attire, social mannerisms, skills in using foreign expressions without really knowing the languages and other such trappings.

Do we really need an intellectual elite?

The economist in this seminar argued that we do. In his view, our failure to deal effectively with Ramos Horta is because we do not have enough intellectual power in our foreign office. Compare this with the situation we had from 1947 to the mid 1950s. At that time our diplomats were people with solid general educations. They were able to meet the challenges of their job, and performed a quite effective diplomatic mission.

And why are we these days "mute" in facing many international issues: GATT, trans-national migrant workers, determining international standards for the work force, and the like? In his opinion, it is again because we do not have enough intellectual clout in these matters. He borrowed the late President Sukarno's words in warning the other participants, that unless and until we are able to resurrect elite education for the good minds among the younger generation, we are in danger of again becoming "een natie van koelies, and een koelie onder de naties" (a nation of coolies, and a coolie among the nations).

I, for one, am convinced that the time has come for us to have schools which will make it possible for us to achieve aristocracy without snobbism.

The writer is rector of the IKIP-Muhammadiyah Teachers' Training College, Jakarta.