T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), in cooperation with the National Education Ministry, sponsored a seminar Tuesday to improve teachers' awareness of the importance of anticorruption education.

"We realize that corruption eradication efforts cannot be done only through enforcement, but through prevention efforts too," KPK deputy chairman for prevention Muhammad Jasin said after the seminar.

The seminar was held as rampant corruption practices carried out by public officials and legal enforcers have caused major concern over the future of the country.

The seminar was attended by representatives of the Teachers' Club, the Education Coalition, the Women's Voice Empowerment Movement, community organizations as well as anticorruption organizations.

"Through this event, the KPK wants to improve the awareness of teachers and related institutions and encourage corruption prevention efforts through education in schools," Jasin said.

He said it was imperative to change the mindset and culture of the students, as the country's next generation, toward corruption eradication.

"We want them to feel embarrassed by corruption practices," Jasin said.

Secretary-general of the education ministry Dodi Nandika said anticorruption education and corruption prevention was both a difficult job and an expensive investment.

"It cannot be done by the KPK alone," he said. Therefore, his ministry was ready to cooperate with the KPK and facilitate anticorruption education in schools.

Jasin said the KPK and the education ministry had jointly published anticorruption modules that could be distributed to students. The modules are intended for kindergarten up to high school students and the subjects contain social, cultural and religious values, including teaching them not to take the belongings of others. Jasin said the modules had been provided and were ready for distribution.

"Teachers under the education ministry have agreed to teach anticorruption education in amongst the official curricula," Jasin said. He went on to say that for the last year anticorruption education had been carried out in 86 high schools in Jakarta as pilot projects.

"We expect to expand the program throughout the nation in the future," Jasin said.

Chairman of the National Commission for UNESCO Arif Rahman said anticorruption education could not be done through schools alone, as examples were badly needed in social and economic areas.

"I'm afraid if prevention efforts are not implemented by our state officials and legal enforcers, and big corruptors are only lightly sentenced, then I think it will be useless *to teach anticorruption education formally in schools*," Arif said.