Schools must win back reverence and trust

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.