JP/7/SIMON Educators and politicians should work together

Simon Marcus Gower Principal Harapan Bangsa High School Tangerang, Banten

Anywhere around the world, where a reasonable representation of democracy exists, politicians will gladly campaign for election on the basis of their education policies and initiatives. It is seen as a vote winner for a politician to be able to speak well on education matters and more specifically be able to show the voting public that he/she has a vision for education.

Of course politicians don't always deliver on their promises but the priority that they give to education in their campaigns speaks of the importance that they recognize education holds. This kind of political interest in education is entirely appropriate. Politicians and politics by definition have to be oriented towards what they will do both now and in the future.

Through their election and party manifesto, politicians have an obligation to speak to the public about their plans and offer up those plans for both public scrutiny and hopefully public approval through electoral victory.

Politics is, again by definition, centered around public affairs in general and there should be no more greater nor significant public affair than the provision of education.

Some suggest that education should be free from the manoeuvrings of politicians and that to allow politicians to influence education too much is to invite hazards and conflicts. Politicians, so it is said, will play with education like a political football; hoping to gain approval and votes whilst potentially kicking the "education ball" all out of shape and so leaving a terrible lack of policy continuity.

Certainly there are hazards in having political involvement but we have to be consistent and realistic in our appraisals of what politics and politicians can contribute to the system and process of education. Politics inevitably infiltrates all systems of education.

This is natural and understandable. In so many facets of any school administration or curricula there is room for, and inevitable input of, politically sanctioned or influenced thinking. Take the subject of history in Indonesian schools. To an outsider it is immediately obvious that this subject is significantly shaped and molded by political thinking, and even political constraints.

This creates a potential condition in which much of what may be learnt in history in Indonesia has a very definite political bias that illustrates political involvement. The same can probably be said of very many other nations and the manner in which they teach history within their schools.

But perhaps this kind of political infringement into education will become increasingly evident. With the end of the New Order regime and so an apparent freeing up of society and public affairs it is quite likely that aspects of history will in turn and in time be rewritten.

It is, of course, to be hoped that they would be rewritten to more neutrally represent what really happened and not be coerced into some extension of propaganda. But in rewriting history what is actually happening is a political act. As a direct consequence of changed, and changing, political times what Indonesian students are studying and learning has to also change.

It is possible to think of other subjects that may easily be seen to reflect and be influenced by political thought. How, for example, can any student possibly study economics without being exposed to political thought?

A student of economics has to consider the capitalist system; has to consider the international monetary system and the effects of globalization and so, inevitably, is studying and developing an understanding of political thought and an appreciation of political theory and philosophy.

Similarly, any student of geography has to consider both the physical and political geography of our world. In coming to know of other nations and gaining an appreciation and hopefully some understanding of their cultures students are, again inevitably, entering into the world of politics.

Because, after all, nations are mostly defined and bordered on the basis of political delineation and their cultures may be distinctly influenced and even defined by their political histories and/ or their political thoughts and philosophies of the time.

In years gone by many education systems would have been grounded in theories of indoctrination. It would have been seen as entirely legitimate and even appropriate for governments to lead and insist upon certain requirements of the school system; no matter whether they be academic in orientation or more politicized. One only needs to think of the Hitler Youth Movement of Nazi Germany to recognize the extreme dangers of polarizing education within the political sphere and allowing a process of indoctrination to take over.

But thankfully we live in more enlightened times and indoctrination can less and less be seen as a goal or function of education. Indonesia is experiencing an opening up of its education system and this fits well with modern theories on what education should be and should potentially be achieving. In an enlightened and democratic society education represents a great gift and great opportunity for both current and future generations.

Education is essentially about opening up horizons for students; opening their hearts and their minds to the great potentials that they hold within themselves and the great wonders in our world. With greater enlightenment and a greater sense of democracy in our systems of education, all people have a role to play in fostering and developing education.

This, then, means that many parties have a voice -- from the students, to parents, teachers, principals, curriculum designers, on and across to employers and politicians that inevitably have an interest and a responsibility for encouraging an educated populace. The participants in education should be varied and diversified in what they can bring to the education table.

Certainly we need guardianship to ensure that politicians do not reduce education to a political football which they willfully play around with, scoring points off each other. However, through greater democratic and shared responsibility for education, checks and balances on the potential excesses of participants become endemic.

We should neither fear nor preclude participation from any parties. Inclusion and motives of betterment should guide us all in our educational development.