MIMPI helps students get dream school

MIMPI helps students get dream school

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Megamendung, Bogor

Pink Floyd's front man Roger Waters sang "We don't need no
education" in the 1979 hit Another Brick in The Wall, which
inspired millions of angst-ridden teenagers all over the globe.

Almost two decades later in 1998, director Robert Rodriguez
used the song for his teen flick The Faculty.

While the impact of the song was not as strongly felt as it
was 20 years ago, it still sounds appropriate even now.

Except for those enlightened students who have encouraged
themselves to continue schooling and study hard, formal education
is still daunting for the rest of them.

Many people struggle through their school years, trying to
find out just how on earth trigonometry will make their future
better.

Aiko Senosoenoto, the chairwoman of the advisory board of
Buddha Dharma Indonesia (BDI), said many teenagers were becoming
more and more unwilling to go to school.

"In many provinces, the number of school dropouts has
increased. In most cases, it's not because they can't afford the
tuition fee -- they just don't like it. Many students want to
drop out during junior high school, thinking they can still find
jobs and money without getting a degree," said Aiko, who is also
an abbot and chairwoman of the prominent local dance company
Eksotika Karmawibhangga Indonesia (EKI).

Concerned with the problem, Aiko and BDI used school as the
theme of this year's annual Buddha youth meeting called Reaching
the Independent Inspirations of Indonesian Youth (MIMPI).

"MIMPI is aimed at educating young people to be brave, to aim
as high as possible in their dreams," Aiko said.

Last year's MIMPI theme was political parties, a kind of
simulation where participants established their own parties and
jury then chose who had the best party.

This year, some 600 participants aged between 13 and 30 from
all over the place gathered together early this month for a week
at the Sadaparibhuta Vihara complex in Megamendung.

Three months earlier, they were asked to submit a proposal of
an ideal school, complete with curriculum, profiles of the
teachers, the management and financial outlook.

Out of the 66 proposals, three were chosen to be realized
during the Mimpi meeting at Megamendung.

The first school was the Creativity Intelligence School, which
encouraged its students to be creative and not afraid to change
through classes, such as music and drawing.

The second one was a writing school called Bengkel Tiga Jari
(Three-finger Workshop).

The last one was called the Baby Face School, which was aimed
at producing young positive thinkers.

Throughout the week, the principals and their teams from each
school ran a campaign to attract students, find investors and
also teachers.

After that, school began, with students attending classes as
they usually would, from morning to afternoon.

"We helped them find teachers and bring them here," said Aiko,
referring to the famous names ranging from puppeteer/singer
Sujiwo Tejo to actress Lola Amaria.

At the end of the week, the "government" or jury from BDI
chose the writing school as the winner.

"It was the most specific and focused school. It taught a
skill that's important in developing one's self-confidence," Aiko
said.

The school is also unique because its principal, Agus Priyono,
26, had not finished high school, saying "it was monotonous".

He had worked at BDI, and later found a job as manager of a
wayang suket (grass puppet) group.

"But when the group demanded better management, I couldn't
provide it because I was not educated. I'm also not confident in
dating girls," he said.

As for writing, Agus said he found that many students were
weak in thinking systematically.

"And I think writing is a media which helps a lot in our way
of thinking and solving problems," he said.

He, however, stumbled upon the fact that writing was
intimidating for many students. Agus got an enrollment of only
105 students out of the 600 participants.

"Therefore, I wanted to motivate my friends, and myself, to
write more," he said.

After the program, he said he would take a high school
equivalency test and study at college, or at least take some
courses.

"I also want to put together some programs for back in my
village, to help those illiterate farmers to read and write. A
lot of times, they suffer financial losses because they don't
read the paper. They plant cloves, for example, not knowing that
the price has dropped. I want to help them."

And what about Agus' fellow participants?

According to the head of the organizing committee, Aman
Utario, the kids are high-spirited, especially those from outside
of Jakarta.

But will the students leave the program with a greater
appreciation for school and a greater willingness to study?

One of the participants only smiled when asked that. But then
again, the students are not the ones to be blamed if school turns
out to be boring rather than inspiring.