[A parent asked me what the solution was to the massive problems in education in this country that I keep writing about. This is my response.]
I tried to answer this matter in my post Confessions Of A Teacher 2. I am certain that the only way to solve the problems in education here is for parents to start caring.
There is no real history of trade unions in this country, and so parents are not used to the concept of joining forces with others to fight for a greater good. If we look at many trade unions around the world, many of them were initially opposed by governments and businessmen, but eventually they won their struggle and got rights and protections for their members. Even though some governments used every possible method to try and crush the unions (threats from the police, legal threats, physical threats, bribery, beatings, etc.), in the end they gave up.
Why?
Because there is no industry without workers. This history of unions shows that a committed group of people who are fighting for a common goal can achieve good results. They can create win-win solutions, rather than suffering at the hands of unscrupulous or uncaring bosses.
The problem in education here is essentially the same. Unfortunately, the majority of Indonesian’s have never joined a union so they don’t have this concept of a united struggle in their minds. They won’t think about going on strike to achieve a certain goal. They think that public demonstrations are things that only university students do.
However, if we want to see real change in a short time, then I think this is the only real solution. Parents have to join forces and present a united front to the government and demand action.
Imagine if 1 million parents in the capital joined a demonstration demanding better education for all of the country’s children. Would the government be able to ignore that? A flood of people managed to remove President Marcos of the Philippines from power. But they had a united purpose. In Indonesia, most parents only care about a good education for their own children, and they don’t care what kind of run-down school their neighbours children have to go to.
If we want change in education in this country, then ordinary parents have to start caring about the children of other people, and they have to unite and demand real change from the government. Until that happens, then I think that parents will just be ignored, and nothing will change.
Everything is in the hands of the parents. They can unite and demand change, or they can do nothing as individuals. It’s their choice.
Gene Netto
