Schools must win back reverence and trust

By Mochtar Buchori

JAKARTA (JP): Reverence and trust constitute very important fundamentals in education.

Teachers and schools are only effective in their task if students and parents genuinely believe them, trust in them and revere them.

Without reverence and trust, no teacher or school can perform any educational task in a satisfactory manner.

It is with this basic framework in mind that I have been trying to comprehend various incidents occurring in some of our schools lately.

Why has our educational system been so ill-fated?

In my opinion the capitulation of some of our schools to pressures for obligatory purchase of shoes, notebooks and visits to Seaworld was caused by a lack of understanding about their rights and authority as an educational institution.

It was really very saddening to hear that it was parents who had to protest against these various instructions or "solicitations".

In my view the school must stand at the forefront and protect students against commercial intrusions from noneducational parties.

According to an old education maxim, the act of registering children into a school signifies a social contract between parents and the school.

With this act, parents are requesting that the school educate their children on their behalf. And the school's acceptance of a child as a pupil signifies that the institution accepts the moral responsibility of educating that child on behalf of the parents.

The contract means two things. First, the school's educational actions must take into account the parents' wishes and preferences. And second, only educational interaction should be allowed to take place at school.

This old maxim has been largely forgotten, both by the school and parents.

Many parents think that the moment they enroll their children into a school, their educational obligation toward their children has ended. They think that from then on the education of their children has become the sole responsibility of the school. If something goes wrong it is the school that is to be blamed.

They think, for instance, that it is the fault of the school that their children cannot speak proper Indonesian and English after graduating from senior high school.

On the other hand, many schools forget their obligation to consult or inform parents whenever they are about to make new educational decisions.

Curricula have been designed and revised without giving consideration to the differing interests of students and parents. Evaluations have been made without negotiating with parents and students.

Consequently, the results of evaluations have become a dead weight instead of a meaningful guide for the next phase.

These are only two examples of the school's neglect of its ethical duty to consult parents. There are many other instances of this negligence.

The end result of this neglect is that a kind of alienation has developed between schools and parents. This estrangement has prevented schools from either reaffirming or correcting whatever education has been provided at home. This same alienation has made many parents unable to understand and support what is being taught at school.

Education at home and at school does not go hand in hand. Each goes its own way and, depending upon the circumstances within the family, educational efforts at home and at school may run parallel, converge or diverge.

The greater this alienation, the greater the probability that absurd conditions will arise at school.

The latest incident -- in which six students were ordered by a teacher to run naked in the school's courtyard with the principal and other teachers watching on -- was the most absurd form of punishment I have ever heard.

How could such a thing happen? How could the principal approve of such a punishment and calmly watch its execution? Do not they have the slightest respect for the students and their parents? Do not they realize that punishment should never be done in a way that humiliates the child or robs the child of his or her sense of dignity?

To me this particular incident is a sign of complete loss of ethical sense among the teachers involved.

This situation may -- in combination with the ongoing process of alienation between schools and parents -- constitute the main factor behind some of our schools entirely losing their credibility and respectability.

The problem we have to solve now is how to restore public reverence and trust, and how to enhance the capability of our schools to prepare the young generation to meet the requirements of the 21st century.

This is no mere theoretical question but a question with practical consequences.

Unless this problem is satisfactorily solved there is no guarantee that the unpleasant incidents of late will not be repeated. There is also no assurance that the school will be able to improve its performance.

In the majority of cases, the success in restoring a school's honor and authority depends primarily upon the efforts of the school. This is because the majority of Indonesian parents have a very limited notion about the function of the school and a limited understanding of their rights and obligations vis-a-vis the school.

The only thing they understand is that the school makes their children "smart", "intelligent" or "educated". But they have no idea about their obligation and rights toward the school, the contribution they can make to ensure the school functions properly. They just trust that the school will give their children the "right" education.

Do our schools and our teachers honor this trust?

It is only a tiny portion of Indonesian parents who can help the school restore its public image and reputation. These parents must be consulted. They are the allies of the school in its present "besieged" condition.

The school and the education bureaucracy must stop assuming that nobody outside the system knows anything about the educational needs of today's young generation.

Indonesian schools are facing a real dilemma. They have to make thorough reforms to really prepare the young generation for the 21st century. But it is constrained by a national curriculum that makes thorough instruction in any field of learning virtually impossible.

Within this kind of environment, Indonesian schools badly need the help of enlightened parents. It must stop treating parents as ignorant aliens in their collective effort to prepare children for their future.

The writer is an observer of social and cultural affairs.