Messy education budget

Messy education budget

Professor Surya in his comment on education in the Pikiran
Rakyat, Oct. 20, 2000, states that the Indonesian budget for 2001
is the lowest in the world. Ki Supriyoko's question Is education
important? (Pikiran Rakyat, Oct. 18, 2000) supports the comment,
implying that he is cynically against the government's policy on
education. Supriyoko further questions the government's decision
not to increase the education budget given the fact that they are
aware of the pivotal role of education in the long-term national
development.

I also would like to add some ideas on the relationship
between education and globalization as stated by Rose and J.
Nicholl in 1997 in the introduction of their book titled
Accelerated learning for the 21st century: "The world is changing
at an ever-accelerating pace. Life, society and economy are
becoming ever more complex. Jobs are disappearing at an
unprecedented rate. It is an age of uncertainty."

Realizing all these elements, it is inevitable that education,
which is the breadwinner of nation building, is such an important
factor in the survival of a competitive world of globalization.
Otherwise Friedman calling Indonesia a messy state may imply
particularly the educational field.

ODO FADLOELI

Bandung