Tag: education

Educational Neurosis: ‘Kita’ and ‘Kami’ in the Context of Indonesian Education

Published on by Izza DinillahLeave a comment

Education in Indonesia as in many other countries is separated into two forms, public and private. Basically, public education should be accessible by all citizens. However in Indonesia most educational provisions, public or private, are not free. As a result, education, especially good education, can only be accessed by certain groups of people who have social or financial capital.

The condition of education in Indonesia creates a wide discrepancy between people who are in the position of power and those who are not. Most citizens should be satisfied with the basic public education which provides them with basic skill to be workers, servants of powerful people. Education as public goods does not have power to inspire people to contribute to the society. On the other hand, specific group of people who can access qualified education in private institution feel that they have no obligation for the society and use education to benefit themselves.

The division of education as public and private goods is related to two words used to describe sense of togetherness in Indonesian language, ‘kita’ and ‘kami’. The English translation of those words is ‘we’. Indeed, since a long time ago, Indonesian people have two perceptions of togetherness.

The word ‘kami’ is used when one wants to describe about you and I and other people who stand in the same group with implicit message of exclusion (Hassan, 2005). Those who do not belong to ‘kami’are excluded or seen as enemy. On the other hand, ‘kita’ is used when one wants to describe you and me and other people all together (Hassan, 2005). “Kita” embraces individuality while people walk together in one reality. Those words which describe about Indonesian people’s perception of togetherness were used by Indonesian scholar, Fuad Hassan, to understand more about neurosis. According to Hassan (2005), individual’s existential crisis which leads to neurosis is a result of his confused perception about his place in the society, how they perceive togetherness.

Applying ‘kita’ and ‘kami’ in education world brings an interesting point of view. In Indonesian education, the culture of ‘kita’ was once implemented. At the time near Indonesian independence, educational philosophy as the foundation of education practice emphasised people’s empowerment within society. Education as public goods can be translated genuinely by ‘kita’ culture. It promotes inclusion, respect individuality in order to achieve better living condition for all. As the time goes by, people have started to become ignorant of the terms they use in expressing togetherness because they use ‘kita’ and ‘kami’ interchangeably (Sarwono, 2012). What happens in the society reflects what happens in education. Indonesian education is in confusion. On one hand, it tries to include as many people but at the other hand it resists the inclusion of certain groups and creates barriers to learners. The government wants it to be public goods for the sake of its benefit but seems to be resistant to invest in education. People who have power can change education system and create any educational policy with self-focused intention. Education can be pulled around, changed to be private goods with the shell of public provision. I think maybe Indonesian education has lost its identity. It does not know its aim, future, and direction. As human who cannot decide his position in the society become neurotic; Indonesian education may be at the same state, the state of educational neurosis.

Mar 07, 2013

Sustainable

Published on by Izza DinillahLeave a comment

I was thinking lately about this word. Sustainable. The first time I really involved with this word was when I had to teach my private student about 8 goals of MDGs. But then, it turns out that I have to use the word more often.

Several months ago I went home with my friend from school where I worked. I had a chat with her about some of my students. We were wondering why their scores in so many subjects are bad. I thought that there are three possible reasons for this.

First, the reason is unclear explanation from the teachers. But then there will be so many teachers at stake here. There is one teacher for one subject and we doubt that all teachers are that incompetent. No way. They are hired as a teacher for some reasons and the reasons must be good. Nope, I don’t think that the teachers are the reason.

The second reason is students’ preparedness of the test. It should be worked out by teachers and parents. At school they study, do exercises and they did well. They were given homework to study at home. I am quite sure that the parents were aware of the upcoming exam and asked their kids to learn. Well, at least the kids told so.

Then there is the third reason. Maybe they can’t absorb the materials and extract them when they are needed! Humans have brains, right? How can they not be able to absorb knowledge? I remembered one of my students who always gets answer for his questions easily. Whenever he is challenged, he step back and choose not to try. Maybe that is the reason. They always get the answers to their questions easily that they don’t have to think, analyze, and strive to come up with an answer.

Finally I concluded. The later reason lead me to think that maybe the schooling system which depends a lot on test scores makes children feel that learning is only a way to get good scores. If children can get good scores not by learning, then what’s the point? Maybe this is what Freire (1996) warned as the result of banking concept in education which reduce the whole educational experience into test scores. People forget the educational process. They forget, as Pranoto (2012) said, how to fall in love with learning, knowledge, and science. Education is treated as a mean to an end while it should make people to be full of resources which will benefit them in the future. Education makes people educated and educated people make what they got from education sustain in order to benefit not only themselves but other people and their environment, to make people and the world sustainable.

May 7, 2013

The Concept of Value in Education

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In my opinion, value is a special message embedded in education. It may consciously or unconsciously transferred from those who are in power to students or those who have less power. As education is not an isolated function (Mittler, 2000), value in education reflects the condition of society.

The history of education and its value in Indonesia may be as far back as Netherland’s colonialism. At that time, education, which only accessible for upper class people, promoted western concepts and way of life. National value was socialised to be negative in order to strengthen Dutch’s power. Around the time of Indonesian independence, an Indonesian educator, Ki Hajar Dewantara, established an education system which was called ‘freedom system’ because its value was independence; ability to be obedient but autonomous (Takwin, 2010). It reflects the high level of nationalism because at that time Indonesia was pursuing and maintaining its independence. In the late 1960s, the system was substituted by a curriculum that stresses on conformity. Governed by an authoritarian leader, differences were seen as inappropriate; and people’s freedom was once again robbed, now by their own nation kin.

Since Indonesian reformation in 1998, educational environment has been unstable. People’s regained freedom creates new and various values that people want to attach to education. However those values are defeated by the largest problem faced by Indonesia, economy. According to Indonesian vice president, Boediono (2012), education is a strategic sector used to prepare future workers in getting their skills in science and technology. The statement implies that education is a mean to get skills and diplomas in order to get good jobs which ends in good payment and higher tax income to increase national economic power. Despite the government’s need of educated people, politicians inside the government devalue people who have higher education degree. It is shown by some politician’s statement that people who study abroad are thieves (Febriyan, 2012) and that people who graduated from high-rank national university are corruptors (Andhika, 2012). Government’s treatment towards people with higher education degree creates confusion about how the government values education.

Tracing back to the history of Indonesian education, I think most education systems, except the freedom system, has brought values that devalue students as human beings by using them to fulfill the needs of those who have power. Indonesian perspective about education is almost the same as what Freire (1996) called as “banking concept of education” or what Lipman (2009) called as “economizing of education” which sees men as objects. In my opinion, education should not be used as a ‘machine’ to give more power to powerful people; it should be used as a strategy to distribute the power in order to empower all people. The value of education should be attempted to humanize human; regarding people not as objects of civilization system but actors who transform the civilization.

Mar 07, 2013

“Many students, especially those who are poor, intuitively know what the schools do for them. They school them to confuse process and substance. Once these become blurred, a new logic is assumed: the more treatment there is, the better are the results; or escalation leads to success. The pupil is thereby “schooled” to confuse teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence and fluency with the ability to say something new.””Many students, especially those who are poor, intuitively know what the schools do for them. They school them to confuse process and substance. Once these become blurred, a new logic is assumed: the more treatment there is, the better are the results; or escalation leads to success. The pupil is thereby “schooled” to confuse teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence and fluency with the ability to say something new.”

 

Ivan Illich

Deschooling Society, 1971

“If situations cannot be created that enable the young to deal with feelings of being manipulated by outside forces, there will be far too little sense of agency among them. Without a sense of agency, young people are unlikely to pose significant questions, the existentially rooted questions in which learning begins.”

 

Maxine Greene

The Dialectics of Freedom, 1988

“A society which makes provision for participation in its good of all members on equal terms and which secures flexible readjustment of its institutions through interaction of the different forms of associated life is in so far democratic. Such a society must have a type of education which gives individuals a personal interest in social relationships and control, and the habits of mind which secure social changes.”

 

John Dewey

Democracy and Education, 1916

Concept of Value in Education

Published on by Izza DinillahLeave a comment

In my opinion value is a special message embedded in education. It may consciously or unconsciously transferred to students. It reflects the condition of the society, of what regarded important by the society, or maybe even what is regarded important by the educator.

For example, in 1929 an Indonesian educator established an education system which called ‘freedom system’ (Takwin, 2010). The value brought by that system is independence; the ability to be obedient but autonomous. It reflects  high level of nationalism because at that time, Indonesia was trying to get its independence.

A couple of decades later, the system was substituted by more moderate curriculum, which stresses on conformity. Governed by authoritarian leader, schools promote uniformity. Differences were seen as something inappropriate and those who show different opinion or idea may be punished.

After Indonesian reformation in 1998 the value internalized in education changed again. People have started to put emphasis on individual development and embrace diversity. The government, until now, is still trying to increase economic resource. Education is seen as a mean to produce qualified people who can work to increase economical power. According to Indonesian vice president, Boediono (2012), education is a strategic sector because it will prepare future workers in getting their skills in science and technology. It is also used to support country’s development through social, economical, and political construction.

The examples above are the example of how value of education changes across time according to the leader, circumstances, or external forces. However value transfer is not limited to the big ones. In small scale, a teacher may transfer his personal value to the students.

There are lots of needs and agenda that people want to insert into education. It seems for me, that adults or whoever got the power can promote one or certain value to children through education. But what about what children want? What about the value of children itself? If education is used to internalized values to children, then for whom the education actually is? Is it for children and students? Is it for those who got the power? What if children are given so many values that they are actually confused? Isn’t education then going to create those confused, valueless apathy people?

Dec 06, 2012

What Education Means to Me

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Every person may have different understanding about education. Some people define education as schooling; some others relate education to learning activities. In my opinion, education is a lifelong, social context related process which involves getting information from environment and reflecting obtained information within self. It enables one to survive and it is important to make one’s life more valuable and beneficial for others.

Education is not limited to particular time duration. Human is born with capable mind which can be used for a life time. It is not limited to school, because education can be taken everywhere. It is a process because education should persist and gradually change one’s skill, ability, or behaviour. Education is always related to social context because the level of importance of skills or abilities differs in every society. For example, in a fisherman village, a child learns how to fish in early year. He may not attend special course about fishing, but practically helping his father educates him to be a fisherman. His experience continues to make him an expert and in implicit way it educates him to be a better fisherman. Fishing skill may be important in a fisherman village but in a modern city it might be placed in the bottom of education priority.

Education involves two things. The first one is getting information. Human senses enable human to receive stimulus. Therefore it is human nature to be able to receive information from external world. Inputs received by senses then processed in human brain and eventually the information can be used in any way to help human live. Education also involves personal reflection. What is obtained from surroundings will be interpreted in a specific personal way. One can reflect and learn through one’s own perception. This will cause education unique, different for everybody even though the education received is similar.

Education enables human to survive. Obtained skills and abilities from education will definitely help one to not only survive but also make the quality of one’s life better. Education is a crucial thing in human’s life because it is a mean to make one’s life more valuable and to enable human to help each other. By education, an average fisherman can be a better fisherman, gives a better life for his family. In addition, the fisherman can also help other people by providing more fish, opening job opportunities, or even educating other fisherman.

My version of the meaning of education involves three principles. It is a lifelong, social context related process. There are two activities in education, which are receiving information and processing the information by reflecting it within self. The aim of education is to make human survive, to enhance the quality of human’s life, and to enable human gives benefit for others.

Oct 07, 2012

Mata Hati Telinga

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I’ve thought about writing about this song for quite a long time. When I heard it the first time, I didn’t really notice about the lyrics. However, when I noticed the lyrics, I realized that the song is very meaningful. Here are the lyrics:

Satu cerita tentang manusia
Coba ‘tuk memahami arti cinta
Benarkah cinta diatas segalanya
Hanyakah itu satu-satunya

Yang menjadi alasan untuk menutup mata
Tak melihat dunia yang sesungguhnya
Dan menjadi jawaban atas semua tanya
Yang kita harap mampu mewujudkan sebuah akhir bahagia

Buka mata hati telinga
Sesungguhnya masih ada yang lebih penting dari sekedar kata cinta ooo..
Yang kau inginkan tak selalu
Yang kau butuhkan mungkin memang yang paling penting
Cobalah untuk membuka mata hati telinga

Adakah kau rasakan kadang hati dan fikiran
Tak selalu sejalan seperti yang kau harapkan
Tuhan tolong tunjukkan apa yang ‘kan datang
Hikmah dari semua misteri yang tak terpecahkan

 

There are two thing caught in my mind when I listen to this song: my student’s field experiment and my family gathering event.

Last week, my class had an outing event. It was a field experiment for science subject. We went to a dirty river near Menteng area. Well, the river is super dirty. The color of the water is black and it is stinky. While I was planning the field experiment, I only thought that it will help my students to understand about water pollution. It turned out that my students can learn much more than that. When we got there, my students were amazed by how dirty the water is, how bad the pollution is. They could actually see and smell the pollution. But then, some of my students couldn’t stand the smell and the view. One of them even vomited during the field experiment. I didn’t anticipate it. Luckily my partner could handle it while I continued the whole field experiment. That was not the only thing that happened during the field experiment. I also saw that some of my students were curious and friendly. They tried to have a conversation with some garbage men who were cleaning the river; they thanked them, and did some nice behaviors during our trip.

Half of the field trip shows how pampered and spoiled these rich children are. They can be rich, they should be rich; but they also have to be sensitive to their surroundings. Half of it shows that some of my students have a high social awareness. They care about other people and not scared to blend with others who come from different background. I am so glad. It is stated in the lyrics that we have to open out eyes, heart, and ears. This experience shows me that observing our surroundings, looking and listening to other people is important. Not just that, we should also include our heart in our observation. We need our heart to move our observation to the next level. We need it to care. I am really glad that I took my students to the field experiment. That way, they can learn how to open their eyes, ears, and heart.

As I said, the second thing that I remember when I hear the song is my family gathering. In my family gathering last Sunday, my uncle gave a speech. In that speech, he said that when we tired of thinking, we should do dzikr and when we tired of trying, we should be grateful. Yup! That’s because we can’t always get what we want, even after we tried very hard. That’s why gratefulness is important. It allows us to think about what we have, what we had, and be thankful that we have those. In spite of that, we should actually believe that God always gives what’s best for us.

This is such a long blabbering from me. Yeah, because I spent such a long time before I write this and I am kind of want to express what I have in mind. But the thing that I will always have in mind is that I have to keep my eyes, heart, and ears open.

Apr 26, 2012

Sustainable

Published on by Izza DinillahLeave a comment

Sustain (v) to keep sb/sth alive or in existence

(Oxford Learners Pocket Dictionary)

I was thinking lately about this word. Sustainable. The first time I really involved with this word was when I had to teach my private student about 8 goals of MDGs. Well, quite a hard topic for a junior high student. But then, it turns out that I have to use the word more often.

A week or two ago I went home with my friend from school. In this case, school is my place of work, not where I study. I had a chat with her about some of my students. We were wondering why are their scores in so many subjects bad. We thought about three reasons; unclear explanation from the teachers, unprepared students during the test, or inability to absorb the materials and extract them when they are needed.

If the reason is unclear explanation from the teachers, then there will be so many teachers at stake here. There is one teacher for one subject and we doubt that all teachers are that incompetent. No way. They are hired as a teacher for some reasons and the reasons must be good. They should have a capability, skills, to handle the children and transfer the knowledge. Nope, I don’t think that the teachers are the reason.

Students preparedness of the test should be worked out by teachers and parents. At school they study. As soon as there will be upcoming exam, the teachers prepare the students. There are exercises and homework given out so students get used to answering written questions. The experience say that those students were able to do both things well. They had good results for their exercises and homework. So what went wrong? There is still one more preparation that should be done; preparation at home. Well, the homework should prove that they prepared themselves at home, right? I am quite sure that the parents were aware of the upcoming exam and asked their kids to learn. Well, at least the kids told so.

Then there is the third reason. Maybe they can’t absorb the materials and extract them when they are needed! Humans have brains, right? How can they not be able to absorb knowledge? Then I remembered one of my student. He always get answer for his questions easily. Whenever he is challenged, he step back and choose not to try. He totally shut down. Maybe that is the reason. They always get the answers to their questions easily that they don’t have to think, they don’t have to analyze, they don’t have to strive to come up with an answer. Well, God gives us brain in order to give us a chance to think. As stated in the Holy Qur’an.

Finally I concluded. Sustainable. They were not sustainable. They can’t keep their knowledge exist this whole time and can’t get the benefit of their knowledge. People tend to easily forget what they know or have when they get it easily. I forget that I have 2000 rupiah money when I pick it up from the street (well, this isn’t really happen). These children easily forget what they know because they don’t need to think. The brain doesn’t put the information in long term memory and therefore they were unable to produce the answer in their exam.

I really think that teachers should be able to make the students sustainable. They have to be able to give the students skill to strive in this world. Teachers can easily pass out the knowledge like they are passing hand outs. But really? Is it going to help the children? Give the children opportunity to think. Push them to the edge but equip them with safety tools. When they are skilled, every exam will be as easy pizzy lemon squeezy.

Apr 12, 2012