Reimagining Education: A Vision for the Future in Indonesia
By: Calista Caesariyani
Edited by: Fiorina Siamir
As of the latest categorisations released by the World Bank, Indonesia has officially been upgraded to become an upper middle-income country. However, despite doing well economically, the IQ level of Indonesians is ranked relatively low. The Data World Population Review 2022 shows that the average IQ score of Indonesians is only around 78.49. This value puts Indonesia in the 130th position out of the 199 countries tested.
All of this is connected to Indonesia's educational system. Indonesia has a unique educational system with four levels of education: elementary school, middle school, high school, and higher education. Public schools now control the Indonesian educational system at these four levels, accounting for 52%. The private sector owns the remaining 48%. All Indonesian citizens are expected to complete a nine-year basic education curriculum, which includes three years of junior high school and six years of elementary school. Currently, Law Number 20 of 2003 regulating the National Education System governs education in Indonesia.
Believing that Indonesia has a meritocratic system is a utopia we have yet to achieve. With more than a millimile-wide of economic inequalities, socioeconomic disparity hinders people from receiving an equal education. A person's ability to obtain an education is strongly influenced by their economic status; for instance, a middle-class family may be able to finance further education abroad, allowing them to maintain or even climb the social ladder. However, those with low levels of education have few options to broaden their horizons and stay in their original socioeconomic class.
Simply put, not every child has an equal opportunity to advance their education. The Indonesian government itself has acknowledged the uneven distribution of education in Indonesia.
The advantage one has is the most essential aspect in determining whether a nation can offer equal educational opportunities to all. A student might be able to attend school, but it doesn't mean that things from their home will automatically simplify it. People from lower socioeconomic backgrounds frequently work while attending school since they struggle with their finances. These pupils' lack of motivation results from this activity because they stay up all night to make money.
Parental attitudes and economic pressures combine to create a tendency towards immediate gratification. This implies they have no regard for the future and only live for the present. In contrast, children from middle-class homes tend to be future-focused and value deferred gratification because of material advantages and disadvantages, and diverse class cultures developed around distinct norms, values, beliefs, and attitudes. For instance, middle-class people place a high value on education, a key factor in repeating each person's class status. In comparison, the working class has placed more emphasis on work-related routine and status.
The government acknowledges this issue and takes action to help solve it. The Indonesian government has acknowledged that there are disparities in education in the country, and one way to address this is to adopt an educational zoning system that starts with early childhood education and continues through elementary, junior high, high school, vocational school, and community education. The Merdeka Learning program is another initiative from the government to address Indonesia's issues with education. The Ministry of Education and Culture launched this program that strongly emphasises academic independence. According to the directive of the Undang-Undang Dasar 1945, the government is required to provide equitable education. However, Indonesia's geographical features, namely its landmass and islands, challenge the implementation of equal education. Following nine years of compulsory education beginning in 1994, the Indonesian government has formally pursued equal distribution of primary school education since 1984. These initiatives focus more on increasing educational options (the equality of access issue).
Some students prefer not to study at all. Some families would prefer that their children drop out of school because they need to work to support themselves. From an early age, kids would labour to supplement the family's income. Either this happens, or they drop out and stop considering their education.
Government efforts are taken seriously because they have an impact on society. However, to advance equality in the field, society as a whole must also make a significant contribution to the educational system. Kasih Edukasi is just one of several non-profit organisations that want to improve the educational system. A learning portal run by young people, Kasih Edukasi, aims to support Indonesian underprivileged children's educational adventures. Their mission is to give Indonesian kids an equitable and fair shot at life. Among their work, Kasih Edukasi conducts weekly lessons to over seventy children between two orphanages and hosts donation drives to give back to the community. In this manner, Kasih Edukasi serves as a link between the community and people in need. With Kasih Edukasi's assistance, it is now plausible to envision a brighter future for education.