Poor people kept away from quality education

Mateus Yumarnamto, Surabaya

Wahono, the executive director of Cindelaras, an NGO concerned with education for poor people, has criticized the government for its decision to adopt an education system that groups school children according to their abilities and the financial status of their parents: "Those who are intelligent and those who are not; those who have financial support and those who are poor," (Kompas, April 7, 2005).

This system denies children equal opportunities and widens the gap between the wealthy and the poor. It makes it very difficult for the poor to change their lives and to advances themselves, socially or otherwise. In short, such a policy prohibits the poor from accessing a quality education.

The system is not supported by theory and in the long run would have dangerous implications, such as social unrest.

It is ironic that while other nations make efforts to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor, and among high achievers and low achievers, the government here is making plans to the contrary. The U.S. has launched the "No Child Left Behind Act" while Indonesia would appear to have in mind the "Let's Leave Them Behind Act".

The policy is based on two misinterpretations of the fundamentals of education, which allow the government to neglect its responsibility to give students a fair chance in life through education.

First, the fact that children differ in aptitude, talent and background is seen as an indication that they need different types of schooling. Thus, students' differences would be recorded and used to classify them, according to a standardized perception of intelligence.

Second, the fact that quality education is costly to provide is used to demand that students share the burden of financing their school. This interpretation would suggest that the government is no longer responsible for providing free basic education for all children. As a consequence, poor people are forced to go to "cheaper" schools, which naturally offer a second-rate education.

Such a view of education is against the design of the national curriculum, which demands that, regardless of their ability or background, all students' competency must have reached the minimum national standard before they leave school.

Therefore, the different intellectual abilities of students should not mean that they are denied the chance to achieve. Even when students choose a different path for their education, the decision should not be made by the government, but by themselves.

The misinterpretation of the first principle is also against the concept of "mastering education", which was introduced to lower the drop-out rate and to help low achievers reach the minimum standards. That is why schools are encouraged to assist low achievers with remedial services.

On the other side, the interpretation that students should bear the burden of financing education sounds logical, and in many cases is fair enough as it has been practiced both by state and private institutions. However, since the government insists on nine years' compulsory education, it is the government's responsibility to provide free basic education services for all children.

Rather than segregating school children based on their aptitude and financial factors, it would be better for the government to provide equal opportunities so that all children could strive together for excellence.

If the government plans to increase the number of vocational schools, they should not be set aside for people who are poor, or who are low-achievers.

These schools are intended for those who aspire to be skilled workers. Thus, vocational schools promoted by the government should apply global standards and local wisdom so that their graduates do not end up unemployed. In the more competitive future, then, we can export skilled workers to our neighboring countries.

Instead of putting the poor -- both financially and intellectually -- into one assembly line, to create one certain social class, the government should give all people equal opportunities. Let the people make a decision that will affect their own fate.

The writer is a lecturer at the Teacher's Training and Education School of Widya Mandala Catholic University Surabaya.e- mail: mateus@mail.wima ac.id