Teachers told to help fight male chauvinism

JAKARTA (JP): Two members of the cabinet told teachers yesterday to instill the values of solidarity and gender equality in students to improve the country's future generation.

Minister of Social Services Endang Kusuma Inten Soeweno and Minister of Women's Roles Mien Sugandhi told teachers attending the third day's session of the week-long 17th congress of the All Indonesian Teachers Union (PGRI).

Inten told over 11,000 teachers from all over the country that educators are the most effective "strikers" in promoting the value of solidarity as a way to handle societal problems.

"Because teachers are a dominant factor in our education system, I hope they can help maximize the role of education in garnering social solidarity," Inten said.

She also noted that strong social solidarity will in turn strengthen the unity of the nation, which is one of the basic assets of development.

"Without the spirit of social solidarity, development will only result in material achievements which are empty of any feeling of togetherness," Inten said.

Discrimination

In her comments at the congress, Mien Sugandhi emphasized that primary education is one of the most effective ways to change the social values which classify women as inferior to men.

Mien noted that another effective way is through family education, in which children are prepared, even before school starts, to enter a society in which gender discrimination continues to exist.

Besides asking teachers to help eliminate gender discrimination in society, Mien also told the educators that they are in the forefront of the drive to better prepare women to act as the partners of men in the nation's development effort.

Mien noted that at present women could not enjoy the same privileges in politics as men although they outnumber them.

One effective way to solve the problem is to give women more access to education, she said. "If women want to stand up and enhance their quality, there will be more women decision makers," Mien said.

She cited men, especially husbands, as the major hurdle in bringing about gender equality because they often think that their wives should work only in the kitchen.

"Husbands cannot yet accept it if their wives get more money or get a better position ... Women actually have major potential, and if they are given the chances they will take more part in development. However, sometimes men are reluctant to let the chances go to women." (11)