Redefining college education
By A. Chaedar Alwasilah
BANDUNG (JP): This year nearly 480,000 senior high school graduates nationwide attended entrance exams to state universities, vying for approximately 72,600 seats. Indeed, it is high competition for admission to state colleges -- one has to outscore seven others.
Due to the economic crisis, some parents have foregone sending children abroad and sent them to college at home instead. This has significantly increased the number of applicants by 21.59 percent.
This recurring phenomenon convinces us that higher education is only a beautiful dream for most, if not all, high school graduates and parents. It is reasonable to ponder whether parents are realistic and informed about sending children to college. A simple question is, should all high school graduates go to college?
The concept of higher education for all was initially introduced in the United States in the 1970s. It is a recognition of an American citizen's right to get higher education.
In the Indonesian context, it is crucial here to state that all citizens have the same right of access to the available resources of higher education.
It does not suggest, though, that every high school graduate has to be admitted to college. It is possible to provide them with postsecondary school education; nonetheless, it is absolutely erroneous to equate it with higher education -- a common attitude among parents.
Compared to elementary and secondary school education, college does not have a universal curriculum. Precollege education -- from elementary to high school -- is universal in the sense that it provides students with relatively basic and universal knowledge, skills, experiences and values to enable them to function socially in the community. The term "universal higher education" is a misnomer, for college education is not and will never be universal.
For some parents sending children to college, especially one overseas, this is a great prestige, and obtaining a college degree is a symbol of social status and a key to a decent occupation. At present, parents tend to underestimate postsecondary school institutions offering training and short- term courses. This attitude is feudalistic in nature and incongruent with professionalism, essential for survival in global competition. It overemphasizes the social function of the university, while ignoring its education hierarchy and differentiation.
It is not easy to convince parents that what matters is postsecondary education, not higher education.
In an Indonesian context today, "higher" is not perceived as "better", in the sense of relevance and employability that could logically contribute significantly to social development. Many are satisfied being college graduates, despite unemployment. As a matter of fact, such people constitute a social burden rather than social innovator. Their attempted college background is not maximally utilized for social development.
In developed countries, continuing, further and adult education has long been developed and empowered as alternatives to tertiary education, which is conventionally undertaken by universities. This empowerment is designed to provide people with the opportunity to get "higher" education, in the sense of better, relevant and marketable education.
It is estimated that an annual 135,000 to 150,000 new college graduates are turned out to compete in the job market and only 40,000 to 60,000 of them find a job. In the years ahead, the figures will be even higher due to the economic crisis that has torn the country.
This suggests that from year to year, only half of the college graduates find a job, leaving the other half unemployed. This half constitutes a group of people who have invested money, time and energy to get a "higher" education, not a "better and marketable" one.
We also notice many college graduates work in sectors that are not immediately relevant to their academic specialization. This mismatch between college training and employment is evidence of a public attitude toward higher education. Most Indonesian parents still believe that college degrees are more overvalued than professionalism.
It is important that parents realize and convince children that to successfully compete in the job market, they should have saleable skills, expertise and professionalism. When "higher" education is perceived as "better and relevant" education, more high school graduates will turn to institutions offering short professional courses, training and continuing education. As a consequence, colleges or universities will not be perceived at face value as any better than those institutions.
In the ensuing paragraphs, the mission and function of universities will be elaborated. These will help us reposition universities in a systemic framework of national education.
Universities are distinguished from other education institutions by scientific orientation. They stand on the front line of exploring and developing science and technology, including concepts, methods and values. The curriculum of medicine, laws, engineering, education and others, for example, are developed with reference to established and autonomous academic principles.
Due to specialized academic orientation, not all high school graduates will benefit from universities. This point should be explicitly made, especially when we examine the claim that all citizens have the right to higher education, although rights do not necessarily imply benefits and advantages.
Often times, universities are criticized for being removed from practice and their 'ivory tower' orientation, as well as conducting highly sophisticated research which absorbs hundreds of millions of rupiah. Many would perceive this as inefficiency or even a waste of resources. This is a paradox inherent in higher learning institutions. The question now is, is it possible to strike a balance between the ivory tower orientation with a down-to-earth one?
It is hypothesized that a change from a knowledge-based to a problem-oriented and career-oriented curriculum will neutralize the connotation of higher education, commonly perceived as a privilege for cream-of-the-crop citizens. Hopefully, people will perceive higher education implies continuing, recurrent and adult education. It is under this paradigm that the concept of higher education for all would be justifiable. From the accounts above, a guideline is derived as follows:
* Twelve years of elementary education and secondary education is a solid foundation, upon which vocational and professional skills are built. Elementary, secondary and tertiary education constitutes a series of mutual inclusion in developing expertise and professionalism.
* Education, whether good or not, becomes integrated with economy. Emerging sectors in economy tend to be reliant on education and training. Postsecondary education should by definition create an emerging specialization.
* Postsecondary education should be made available through numerous institutions. It would be erroneous to limit higher education to the education traditionally conducted by universities. Justice and equality underlining the concept of higher education for all should be flexibly interpreted to enable high school graduates to enter any form of education of choice.
* Alternative forms of postsecondary education, such as short courses and professional training should be given priority, considering the paucity of employment. Professionally trained graduates will not only be absorbed in the job market, but they will also create employment.
* Curriculums are designed to help students to survive and self-actualize in society. In other words, contemporary social changes logically determine college education. Problem-oriented and career-oriented education is relevant to the current social and economic situations.
* Education in general develops critical-thinking skills and independence in students. Despite different specializations, all college graduates are expected to demonstrate capabilities as agents of social transformation. This necessitates the inclusion of social subjects such as sociology, psychology and education in the college curriculum.
As the country is now facing a social and economic crisis, it is essential that our embraced philosophy on education needs to balance social and economic parameters. With the guideline above in mind, we are assured that in the future, high school graduates will be realistic in their bid to enter universities and be informed in choosing professions. After all, their future is in their hands.
The writer is a lecturer at the graduate school of the Teachers Training College (IKIP) in Bandung.