JP/7/SIMON

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.