Unity in diversity: Teachers and students must embrace difference

Simon Marcus Gower, Executive Principal High/Scope, Jakarta

Indonesia has a well known and admirable motto "unity in diversity". Even the most casual of observers of the great archipelago could not possibly but agree that this nation has a remarkable and undeniable diversity, but questions over the degree of unity to be found amongst these islands inevitably remain. Recent history has not been kind to the idea of unity in Indonesia. With greater democracy, unity seems to have been coming under increasing pressure.

This is, however, a pattern that has been repeated all over the world. As the Communist bloc disintegrated a whole host of new nations were born. It seemed as though, as freedoms increased segregation and separation also increased. The horrors visited on the nations born out of the collapse of the former Yugoslavia were probably the worst manifestation of this process. And we have seen similar woes visited upon parts of Indonesia.

It is reasonable to ponder why growing freedom should potentially be the source of growing separation and even discrimination. It has perhaps been too easy for people to misinterpret democracy; to overextended democracy's principles to the point of jeopardizing the very notion of freedom and in turn destroying the very source of that freedom which is or at least should be democracy.

But why has it been possible to misinterpret democracy? Why have people not been able to see and value the notion of democracy bringing people together rather than separating them? There is sadly the potential to see "difference" as not being something that should be respected, honored and appreciated, something that should be valued and prized as one of the wonders of our world; but instead seeing difference as a divider and a source of hatred.

Regrettably, there are examples of this in daily life, and most regrettably of all examples of this is in the daily life and lives of schools in Indonesia. Take the students in street fights. Anarchy is literally let loose on the streets as school kids clash for no reason other than they attend a different school. In short, a difference, which is hardly perceptible and which is surely of little or no significance, is being used and seen as justification for violent acts of aggression and the stimulus for hatred.

The short fuse that burns and leads to the explosion of violence is clearly born out of an ignorance and lack of appreciation for others. Ignorance and an accompanying lack of forethought and care for other human beings is liable to create and nurture a culture of mutual distrust and even hatred.

Sadly, schools can consistently be observed that are not engaged in encouraging tolerance, acceptance and appreciation of difference. Whether it is racial, religious, political, cultural; difference is not being respected and seen as the great source of learning and indeed love of life that it should be.

School students can consistently be observed entering into conduct and behavior which is disrespectful and offensive towards difference. For example, in one classroom one child was particularly excluded from the other children's activities because "he's ugly ... his skin is so black," one child said, with little or no realization that she was saying something offensive.

Immediately, in a situation such as this, the children have a great opportunity to learn and understand and not behave in a racially offensive manner. But sadly too often teachers seem to be tardy or ill equipped to respond to these kinds of ignorant behavior. The teacher should be in the classroom to facilitate and encourage tolerance and appreciation of difference but often teachers themselves are stuck in a quagmire of intolerance and failure to appreciate difference.

At one school the teachers themselves were literally segregating themselves along ethnic lines. The ethnic differences to be encountered and recognized within the teaching staff had been allowed to create small groups or cliques within the staff. These childish, foolish and ignorant notions meant that it was possible to observe groups of Javanese teachers staying together, of teachers from Sumatra staying together and of teachers from Nusa Tenggara staying as a group.

These mutually exclusive groupings of teachers meant that socially there was little or no interaction between these ethnicly defined groups. Also, in their working practices and day-to-day efforts within the school there was little communication between these ethnic groupings. This inevitably meant that the teaching staff was not getting along well. It meant that difference was being allowed to stand in the way. An atmosphere of distrust and even dislike was being maintained purely based on ethnic lines.

In essence, then, these teachers were allowing their prejudices to stand in the way of their working practices and in turn these prejudices would be passed on to their students. Effectively these teachers run the risk of extending and further entrenching a failure to appreciate and tolerate difference.

Difference is a great thing. Difference is what gives us our humanity; ethnic, cultural, religious, political, etc.; whatever the difference may be it is a wonder and something that the truly educated and wise person can look upon as something that is of great value; something that makes us rich; something that can make our lives more bountiful and fulfilling.

School students and their teachers need to be actively engaged in learning of difference, understanding difference and valuing it as a great thing. As globalization increases we will increasingly encounter people of different nations and if we fail to be able to understand difference then we are likely to fail in the era of globalization.

In this sense it becomes essential that teachers are more sophisticated and sensitive towards difference and in turn pass on such sophistication and sensitivity to school students, who may then capitalize and enjoy the wonders of human difference.

"Unity in diversity" is a great motto; alongside it we could place "variety is the spice of life". By coming to appreciate human variety we may have a more enjoyable and successful life, which is not overshadowed by the clouds of prejudice and injustice.