Is linking education and politics taboo?

Mochtar Buchori, Legislator, Jakarta

About four years ago, when my statements about the situation in Indonesia were considered fresh and sometimes jolting by the press, I felt a shock when I suddenly was advised by a friend to refrain from making statements about domestic politics.

At the time I had a feeling of self-confidence and, unfortunately, also a sense of self-importance, because of the frequency with which my statements were quoted by the press. I felt tranquil and content with myself.

Suddenly, while I was slumbering in my personal euphoria, came that advice not to mix education with politics. "Don't make political statements! You must confine yourself to the realm of education, your field of specialization. There you will not make any mistakes."

I did not know then, and I still do not know, why I received this reprimand. Did I really deserve it? I was taken aback. What had I done? Which statement of mine was politically incorrect? I felt offended, and I was boiling inside. What did this guy know about education, anyway?

My initial impulse was to answer back, and to counter this unsolicited advice with a strong argument about the true relationship between education and politics. But I realized at the time that I was merely a novice in the world of "practical politics", while this particular friend of mine was a big personality and had considerable clout in the organization. I thought better and kept my mouth shut.

After I had calmed myself, I could see the source of his consternation, while still rejecting his advice. It is true, indeed, that education and politics are two separate fields of practice and inquiry.

However, there are instances in which thinking about education cannot be separated from deliberations about politics. In such instances it is not wise to divorce education from politics. There are even instances in which deliberations about education will become meaningful only after they are linked to deliberations about politics.

When do education and politics become inseparable?

In general, it is when we are facing an educational problem with wide social implications, and when the search for the best possible solution requires deliberations about the ideological bases of the alternatives and their possible consequences -- it is then that the thinking about education cannot and should not be detached from contemplations about the political context. We should keep in mind in this regard that education can be viewed as both an instrument to reach a political goal, and a consequence of a political choice.

If we seriously think about an educational policy that can and will eradicate corruption, collusion and nepotism from our society, we must move back and forth in our thinking between education and politics.

This will require us to move ahead through two stages. First, we must ask how corruption, collusion and nepotism have gradually become part of our life today. This means that we must dissect our society and our culture during a chosen interval within our history, highlighting in the meantime the political climates and systems that dominated during that interval.

Subsequently, we must ask how the young generations must be educated to make them prefer a lifestyle that is based on honesty, hard work and fairness to one that is based on greed, selfishness and unbridled ambition.

No one can design such a big educational program without having an understanding of when and how forces generated by education and politics will converge or collide in real-life situations. No educator can develop an educational project of such significance and magnitude without the benefits of the political wisdom and insights of reputed and respectable politicians.

The chance for such an educational program to succeed will increase if its design is trusted to a team of educators, politicians and political scientists, while its plan for implementation is constantly checked against the opinion of historians, anthropologists, sociologists and public administrators.

Based on this view, knowledge about the existing political situation and the ability to communicate with politicians are essential for people working in the field of education.

When should education and politics be de-linked? Or, in what circumstances should politics be barred from intruding into education?

It depends on how we define "politics" and at what stage we are in our endeavor to solve an educational problem. There is thus actually no clear dividing point between education and politics.

There are two principles, however, that can be used as a guideline. One principle is that partisan politics, i.e. politics that are closely linked with political parties, should be avoided. The second principle is that when one works at the operational level, mixing education with politics should be avoided. At the planning or conceptual level, reference to politics is possible and sometimes even desirable.

But even at this level, it is national politics and global politics that should be used as points of reference, and not partisan politics. This latter kind of politics should always be kept out of educational institutions.

If we are considering the teaching of sustainable "development" in our schools -- a topic that has become very popular lately -- we cannot overlook or ignore the political aspects of this issue. The teaching of sustainable development is not only meant to implant knowledge about sustainability into the students, but it is aimed also at nurturing attitudes that support sustainability among students, and at goading them toward personal resolution to pursue a lifestyle that strengthens the sustainability of our environment.

In this case, discussing the political aspects of sustainable development becomes necessary. Teaching sustainable development without discussing the global imbalances that exist in our world today will make the entire session dull and hollow. This will make the entire program for teaching sustainability and sustainable development ineffective.

This leads me to the conclusion that educators interested in the welfare of the nation, now and in the future, should have the freedom to explore the political world. I firmly believe that discussing national and global politics in my talks about education is my right and my duty.