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uman being are said to lead and manage the world. Their thoughts and actions influence their surrounding since they have special instrument: brain, giving them the highest position among other creatures. Their brains are keys to fulfill their needs and develop the civilization. Such view is supported by Alfred North Whitehead, history of all Western philosophy is footnote series from two Greek great thinkers, Plato and Aristoteles (Suhelmi, 2007). That’s why their thought and action gave guidance and direction to make history of human being and gave deep influence until now.
Equipped with their amazing ability of their brain and inspired by their dream, people determine to change their lives. In doing so, they need education to help them plan and prevent them from alienation in competitive era. Education provides people with knowledge on how to build paradigm and attitude to conquer the world.
As a developing country, Indonesia has many education problems from colonial until now. Our founding fathers realized that to reach independence they had to establish organizations to organize massive movement from intellectuals who have diplomacy which had significant power to gain international support. The problem was only few people could reach high education because the Dutch colonial prohibited people to have access to education. With limited well-educated people, Indonesia could proclaim the independence and defend it with diplomacy strategies. Many great thinkers and intellectuals were born and had international reputation like, Soekarno, Hatta, M. Natsir, Hamka, Tan Malaka, etc. Like in India, Middle East, Philippines, Indonesia, China and another countries – where intellectual group were promoted the independence – their contribution were conspicuous (Alatas, 1988). In that time, education was something that almost impossible for ordinary people to get.
In globalization era, education is not only instrumental part of human life but also an agent of change. To adapt to the environment, people must have good educational background to prevent them from being marginalized in a tight competition, like what Thomas Hobbes said, humans become wolf to others (homo homini lupus). The higher education level people have, more expert and competent they are.
In Islam, education is a must for everyone and is called lifelong education. According to John Dewey, education is renewal process of experiences sense through process of incidental transmission and intentional. Educated person is realized that they are subject not object in this world. According to Paulo Freire, conscientization is dimension basis of human reflection act which is expressing knowing process, that suppressed individual become subject or a process that human being is getting consciousness which is more deeper about culture reality which covered their life and ability to change the reality.
It has significant correlation among individual, nation, and international level. More well-educated people in one country, it is a guaranty to accelerate the development. When one country has success development, automatically bargaining position will be increase in international politics. Like what N. Syam said, because of education, society would progress. Likewise, advance education take places only in progress society.
Now the questions are; how important is education for people? What will they do with their knowledge that they have got from education institutions? How far is their passion to education?
Analysis of the Condition
History proves that education could make a nation or a country have a great civilization. Many education institutions were established, such as university, prove to became an integral part in a society. It caused the citizen to be more well educated, more civilized and became example for another. They were written in world history and have influenced to next generation, like Greek, Roman and Persia civilization.
As time goes by, Indonesia’s social condition changes with the growth of the technology. Global situation also contribute to alter every aspect of life. Rapid changes of economic and social life cause people to think that education is very important to survive and to compete in globalization era. Unfortunately, there are so many national education problems in supra structure like, regulation often change depends on the regime and infra structure level, like school building and education tools does not qualified.
Life becomes more individualistic, materialistic and consumptive as result of the western influenced like, liberal paradigm and capitalism system which are accumulated in globalization concept. The bad influenced faded society value, distinctive feature and identity, which have positive influence to balance social life. The impact infects every part of life without exception, including education. If we analysis to John Dewey statement, the condition is very contradictive. People orientation of education is to get certificate, after that working to gain much money become rich people and get happy life with beautiful wife and cute child, the last is died in peace and give much legacy to next generation.
Nowadays, certificate duplicating is instant way to get education legality to get a job or a promotion. The fact is very ironic, knowledge is a social process which is need to renewal empirically to adapt the social condition. Research is one of the way to renewal knowledge but the reality, scholars ignore it just few people who have progressive paradigm, which have desire to their knowledge capacity and implement what they’ve got like do some research. That is why knowledge progress in this country moving slowly.
Capitalism system was built to get high profit with less capital. That mindset made businessman with their company exploit the labors or employees and treat them like commodity. They push them to work hard without proper payment and permanent status. That is proved what Thomas Hobbes said that humans become wolf to others (homo homini lupus). They went from home early in the morning and back to home in the late of night through bad traffic jam and uncomfortable transportation services. Sometimes, in holiday they also have a job, overtime.
That condition makes people tired and don’t have a time with families moreover to develop their knowledge. People use and give majority of their time and life to the job. So, people life for a job not a job for life. We can say that people or employee become object not subject. How come people that have knowledge through education process trapped in this condition without effort to changes it. That is what Paulo Freire concerned that he captured the Portugal imperialism condition in his homeland, Brazil and which has related to Indonesia’s condition.
Mass media especially television also has important participation with their film or Indonesia drama series (sinetron) and celebrities infotainment which gave an ideal life with having much money. They gave poison that makes people have narrows minded, passive and weak of critical and progressive thought.
Natural characteristic that native have also make influence to the condition. Native characteristic also takes important part for this condition. According to Mochtar Lubis, Indonesians acknowledge characteristically respect, calm, trustworthy, nice, royal, friendly to guests, and gentle. But said, Indonesian people don’t want to think difficult things. They don’t have any idealism, don’t have effort, can’t take decision (Lubis, 1977). One of the vital problems in developing society is laziness of intellectual itself (Alatas, 1988). Some of the characteristics are not relevant anymore, but it can illustrate Indonesians and society in developing country. Honestly, those characteristic is true which are influencing attitude pattern in society.
Conclusions
The condition must be changed. The important one to do is to change people paradigm of education by education system and the way how educator teaching. Government also must make supporting regulation, facilities and budget to upgrade education quality and to do research activities that involving academics and students. It will take long time, but if implementing gradually could changes the conditions.
So, is education very important to develop your knowledge become intellectual or intelligence (specialist or professional) or just for a certificate to get a job to survive? That question is back to you how to consider the essence of education.
References:
Ahmad Suhelmi, Pemikiran Politik Barat, Jakarta: PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 2007.
Mochtar Lubis, Manusia Indonesia; Sebuah Pertanggungan Jawab, Jakarta: Idayu Press, 1977.
Siti Murtinigsih, Pendidikan Alat Perlawanan, Teori Pendidikan Radikal Paulo Freire, Yogyakarta: Resist Book, 2004.
Syed Hussein Alatas, Intelektual Masyarakat Berkembang alih bahasa oleh Bambang Supriady, Jakarta: LP3ES, 1988.
Wahjosumidjo, Kepemimpinan dan Motivasi, Jakarta: Ghalia Indonesia, 1987.
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