Rights of Our Children to Education

Still They Have Seat?

National Children's Day of Reflection on 23 July 2008

By Wawan E. Kuswandoro
Chairman of the Board of Education of Probolinggo Municipal
Former Congress on Indonesian Children

For parents, preparing children’s seat to starts education is one of the responsibilities to ensure the sustainability (right) the education of their children. This means that they must be willing to do when the long queue in New Revenue Participants of Education (a name from the New Student Reception, PSB) to the education level in order to be adopted soon, including a long journey for education that the children will be driven and how much it will cost. Do all the parents will be able to do it or some do it otherwise others lose their chance to fulfill their children’s right to attend school? For the government, they must give the guarantee of the right of the children’s education as shown by the program of “The 12 Year Compulsory Education” (Wajar Dikdas 12 Tahun). As provincial state government have been launched it. Does it means only political (shortly mean) statement or has it the real declaration based on analytical statement of their public policy?

Just for suggestion, Article 31, Paragraph (1) Amendments of the Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution (UUD 1945) explicitly mandate, "Every citizen is entitled to education." This boldly stated again in Law Number 20 of The 2003 on National Education System in the Article 5 paragraph (1), which explains, "every citizen has an equal right to receive a quality education." However, it seems, the government is also struggling practice mandate this Law. Because these statements of Law contains aspects of access to educational equity, quality and cost that must at once. More specific, it’s talking about the quality on every level of education and education’s content which give real advantage contribution to the student by exploring their potential. Or not to be? It needs of linking and matching to the future of the job market (education context). Some are practical reasons for that should first appear in the eyes when the parents will enter their children to school, because they have been gambling for the 12-year mortgage with the age of the children (and family savings as well). Let's see the data below.

Where Will The 3.386 Children Go?
Data from the Department of Education since graduation of the students and New Education Participant Reception (P2DB) in 2008, there were as many as 3,698 students passed the elementary (from 3,705 students). Meanwhile, graduation of the National Examination of Junior High School in 2008 amounted to 97.84% of the total participants as much as 3,475 students (3,400 students), high school graduation (state-owned/ private-owned) is 99.85% of the 1,227 students (1,226 students), and Vocational School (SMK) of 92.11% from 1,812 students (1,667 students). Now let us habituate capacity of P2DB. State-owned Junior High School take the number of 1,792 students, Senior High School (SMA/ SMK) of 1920 students. From these figures can be known, if minimum capacity observed by the school, then there are 1,906 students who do not taken by Junior High School, and there are 1,480 students in high school does not taken by state-owned Vocational High School (SMK). Where will our children go? They may be taken by private schools, or even lose their chance to attend school. Meanwhile high school graduates of 2,893, amounting to a child's fate is not yet known: to continue to the higher level of education like enter the university, courses, or go to work for some jobs, want to get marry, or even become unemployed? Online P2DB data from the Education Office until July 10, 2008 at 11:48 pm shows that there were as many as 1,696 students enrolled in junior high school (SMP) 10 (name of school), 732 students registered in the State Senior High School (SMA) 4 (name of school), and 1,187 students enrolled in SMK 4. What can be said with the data? First, the aspects of the opportunity to obtain education (accessing school), a number of these will still be confronted to the data of reception of students in schools and madrasa (public and private), so that real data will be followed by the cost of education in schools and madrasa is. So that will be known, is the education system that is currently being held have been able to provide access (opportunity) to study for children, including children from poor families? Second, in the aspect of quality, especially the links and match on the level of elementary school (SD/ MI) to Junior High School (SMP) and Senior High School (MA / SMK). Further, shall it drive to the needs of life and for the job market (practical purpose of education), particularly still a ‘homework’ for us.
Mapping of this kind is very necessary and useful not only for the students and concerned parents in the education of the type of plan in accordance with the circumstances of the children themselves (general or vocational school). Also for the schools as to prospective students or the "agreement" or "social contract" with prospective students' parents or prospective students when registering.

So that parents not only faced with a line of figures that should be paid in rupiah (IDR) soon especially impressed with the deadline of school policy unfriendly and do not know the origin of the number (so that the effect of strengthening the commercialization of education), but also given the assurance or confidence that the children in these schools will have adequate quality. Will it’s costs incurred by parents of students take a balance in advantage with the quality of education in the schools, which are received by prospective students?

For the government, is useful to determine the cost of the policy of providing facilities and quality education and effective. Furthermore, high school graduates (SMA/ MA/ SMK), how percentage can be merged by universities or the like, be merged by the job market, and so on.
Description above, is still around in the formal education, when it mean by providing education-seat benches for our children, so that even if it is not as easy and as fast as when the policy holder determine the government’s budget allocation for education. The gap is quite visible from the figures above, are still not talking about the content of our education, for example, is investing at least 12 years have been truly ensure the quality of graduates, or only the ritual of home education does not seem nothing, is the electronic-model of multiple choice of exams really reflects the quality and competence and skill of children, have been choice of school children on teaching materials that children with projection of futuristic to social life such as preparation of the child soon, and so on. When the number of grossly benches less than the number of children who are actually entitled to the bench, the government needs to be more serious use of the provision of alternative education to reach more familiar and reachable even though by the poor. Will we hear the crying of the poor people when they were about to fail entering their children to the school? They spread so neat voiceless and we also with a sparkling of "success" a few "achievements" of the National Examination (UN) without fully realize the repercussions after the UN. Recently we only take highly appreciated to the amount of (formal) graduation of the student by National Examination, a simplified model of education itself.

Rescue Lost Generation
Seeing the spirit to save our children not to take an opposite the spirit of "The 12 Year of Wajar Dikdas" (so that not only become an empty slogan), the need to pay attention to the following: (1) System for receiving new students a more fair and run in justice that all the children taken by schools and madrasa (no child left behind); (2) Strengthening the capacity of non-state-owned school (sekolah swasta) that is play role as a back-up for state-owned- schools to save the children (see data above); (3) Reducing disparities of school named "favorites" and "fringe" to give them good facilities and human resources for all school; (4) Develop a pattern of alternative education for those capable of reaching that-never-have or in special conditions.

Meanwhile, the cost of education, there is still the parents' ignorance of the school program, unless the amount of the fees that must be paid, presented by the School Committee. In many cases, this affect to the appreciation against the school. It required a minimum of cost certainty for parents (transparency school programs, to increase the trust of parents of school) with the unit cost for example. When the parents (user education services) to understand the school program (at least know the school program), then talk when the consequences (cost), participation will be easier. And, education of the children will also be more assured. How the right of the child is guaranteed? Indeed, there is no research about how percent does the families in Indonesia allocate their family budget for education, but I am sure, most families experienced send their children certainly spend most of the overall their family budget. How about the government? How much in percentage does the government allocate budgets for education?