Most Indonesians prefer mediocrity to competition
JAKARTA (JP): Respected scholar Sayidiman Suryohadiprojo says most Indonesians prefer mediocrity to competition.
The retired Army general and former governor of the National Resilience Institute, a military think tank, said yesterday that the Indonesian inclination not to compete for excellence will make it difficult for the nation to survive global competition in the future.
He told a national seminar on education that the condition could also erode the nation's independence because "the weaknesses of the people are also the weaknesses of the nation".
"The Indonesian people have great potential; they are clever and able to adjust to many situations. But those factors are not enough to compensate for the basic weaknesses," Sayidiman told some 200 participants at the two-day seminar which ended yesterday.
He blamed Indonesia's long history of living under colonial powers for the people's reluctance to compete.
"During the colonial period, there were only a few schools to shape the people's intellectual and technical abilities to develop the country once independence was achieved," Sayidiman said.
He expressed optimism that education will help turn around the situation. "Education will develop new character and habits to counter the weaknesses."
He identified another weakness which he said needs to be dealt with seriously. "Many Indonesians are very good at making concepts or theories, but fall short when it comes to implementation.
"In addition, Indonesians tend to depend on other people to solve their problems rather than solve them on their own," he said.
The seminar, organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture and attended by education experts and government officials, was convened to gather materials for the drafting of the government's Broad Guidelines of State Policy for the 1998- 2003 period.
The other speakers addressing the forum at the Kartika Chandra Hotel included Aris Ananta of the University of Indonesia, Quraish Shihab, rector of the State Institute for Islamic Studies, Soeharsono Sagir of the Bandung-based Padjadjaran University and Tanri Abeng, a well-known businessman.
Noted Moslem scholar Dawam Rahardjo said the education system does not foster competitiveness in students.
Dawam's opinion was supported by Heru Sutojo from the University of Indonesia's School of Economics, who added that the education system does not produce the skilled professionals needed by the business sector.
He said that today's curricula is outdated and stagnant because of its emphasis on extracurricular activities and 'local content' in the form of local languages.
"Students are already exhausted, but their education is far from satisfying," Heru said, citing low final examination scores in science and math as an example of the system's failings.
With such poor abilities, many graduates will lose out on opportunities to work in such fields as electronics and engine manufacturing. (31)