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Educational system losing its idealism Mochtar Buchori, Jakarta Whenever I try to recollect the condition of education in the country between 1945 and 1949, and the ideas about the future of the national education system that were generated during that time, one thing invariably comes to mind. That is, how simply yet "stately" our national mind-set was during those trying years. The simplicity of our national mind-set was demonstrated through our approach to problem-solving. If students had to go to the battlefields to fight against the Dutch, then let them go. If they wanted to come back to school to resume their studies, then welcome them back. It did not matter whether a student was absent from school for one or three months. The important thing was that they were getting a sound education. If competent teachers were not available, then the best among the incompetent did the job. There was always somebody there who could show the students what to do. Behind this simplicity, however, there was a strong will to carry out essential tasks. Both teachers and students were very much aware of the existing shortcomings, but did not let this knowledge obstruct their activities. In this way we showed the entire world that we were able to sustain our existence as an independent nation. We were also very much aware of the imperfections of the system, but promised ourselves we would fix things when the time came. It was not easy, but we did it. My own experience was a living example of this mind-set. After the revolution was over, I worked for one year as a teacher, before continuing my studies of history and the philosophy of education. That was always my favorite discipline. Through the intervention of my former teacher, who in 1950 was an important bureaucrat within the Department of Education and Culture, I was accepted at an institution in Bandung that was still run by Dutch professors. My former teacher warned me before I left for Bandung that college life would never be easy, but he told me that I would make it. "Knowing you, I am sure you will make it. Just do your best." I was the youngest in my class, and my education background was the poorest among members of the class. My Dutch was very rusty after three-and-a-half years of Japanese occupation, and after two-and-a-half-years of schooling that was repeatedly interrupted by the ongoing military conflict. Whenever I browse through my old textbooks -- they were all in Dutch -- I am astonished that I actually made it. Each book was full of my notes written in red and blue. I had to "decipher" each and every unfamiliar Dutch word by consulting a dictionary. At that time I did not even understand the meaning of the Dutch word "quintessence". I worked very hard for almost four years, and after I passed my final examinations -- both written and oral -- I said to myself, "You have kept the promise you made during the revolution." I was not aware then that during those difficult years I learned not only about academic matters, but more importantly we, the children of the revolution, learned how to live life to the fullest. Our national mind-set at that time was influenced by reports of education conferences and committee meetings that took place between 1946 and 1949. In a meeting organized by the Education Association conducted from April 4 to 7, 1947, one participant, Sumidi Adisasmita, stated that reform in education in Indonesia must be conducted on the basis of the following principles: It must be deconstructive vis-a-vis the colonial mind-set; it must be constructive vis-a-vis the national mind-set; it must emphasize citizenship education; and it must be practical in character. This proposition may look simple to us now, but it clearly rejects the idea of continuing the education practices developed during the colonial era. We can ask ourselves now, "Have we really cleansed ourselves of the remains of the colonial mind-set, and have we really succeeded in building a national mind-set?" If we did, I think there would be no more complaints about the lack of a clear national identity. These are problems that until today have not been satisfactorily solved yet. The point I wish to raise here is that the idea of putting these national problems on the conference table was a clear indicator of how bold and imaginative we were at that time in our thinking about national education. Are we today, after 61 years of independence, as bold and as imaginative as our predecessors in 1947. In October, 1949, an Inter-Indonesia Education Congress was held in Yogyakarta. At this congress the late Ki Hadjar Dewantara of Taman Siswa said that education and instruction can assume a national character only if it is founded on religion and culture that promotes the security and welfare of the society. In other words, religion and culture should never be used in education for the purpose of encouraging intolerance and violence. In another part of his presentation, Ki Hajar said that "Life must be directed toward progress, civility, culture and unity, and we should not reject elements that come from foreign civilizations. This is for the purpose of stimulating further growth and the enrichment of our national life, and ultimately to elevate the dignity of the Indonesian people. Can we today think about national education in stately terms like this? I am afraid we have become too pragmatic, and that we have lost quite a bit of the our idealism and the ilan of our predecessors. I am afraid that today we are lost in trivialities that make us myopic with regard to our future. I hope I am wrong! The writer holds a PhD in education from Harvard University [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] *************************************************************************** Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia *************************************************************************** __________________________________________________________________________ Mohon Perhatian: 1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik) 2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari. 3. Reading only, http://dear.to/ppi 4. Satu email perhari: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 5. No-email/web only: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 6. kembali menerima email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! 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