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Christine Hakim: The importance of education
Famous actress and film producer Christine Hakim, last seen in Eat Pray Love, is busy these days promoting teacher education in Indonesia and Southeast Asia as Indonesia’s goodwill ambassador for UNESCO
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amous actress and film producer Christine Hakim, last seen in Eat Pray Love, is busy these days promoting teacher education in Indonesia and Southeast Asia as Indonesia’s goodwill ambassador for UNESCO.
AP/Evan Agostini
Hakim flew from Tokyo to Paris this month to attend a World Teacher’s Day event titled “Recovery begins with Teachers”, at UNESCO’s headquarters.
The vivacious actress described why she accepted the voluntary position of goodwill ambassador two years ago.
“Ever since I produced a film about street children in Central Java, I realized the importance of teachers in education. It was an eye-opener when I was ambassador for Unicef to learn that Indonesia’s level of education is now considered only a notch higher than Vietnam’s, which is at the bottom of the scale.
Remember there was a time when even Malaysians came to Indonesia for higher education.”
This famous public figure is willing to use her free time and her image to further what she deems essential for Indonesia and neighboring countries. Her determination has made it easier to break through endless bureaucracy.
Christine’s work shooting films has taken her all over Indonesia and further afield. On her trips, she observed how poverty resulted from poor education and not only scarce natural resources.
What really struck her was the fact that Indonesia, naturally rich in primary resources, does not guarantee its 235 million citizens a minimum well-being. She is convinced this goal could be achieved, through better organization and distribution.
When she visited a tiny remote village in Japan, Christine noticed a board outside a school where someone had recorded what each pupil had eaten that day.
She realized that feeding young children correctly at school was as important as attending classes. Students will grow up to be healthy citizens with functional brains, besides enjoying basic schooling. The protection of children is also of one UNESCO’s main aims.
The Indonesian government now devotes 20 percent of its annual budget to education, but there is still much work to be done to diversify and update educational facilities as well as teaching methods.
Hakim said that teachers should tap into their own experiences, under guidance, to create fresh approaches for teaching when standards can be improved.
The focus, she said, should be more on vocational schools where adolescents could acquire practical skills, as well as reviving training in music and other local traditions specific to a region.
She cited Papua as an example of where sculpture could also be taught at art colleges to revive this form of expression. It is not necessary to produce thousands of graduates with diplomas for non-existent jobs, although experts in scientific or economic fields are necessary.
A flexible and innovative curriculum is likely to inspire teachers to enjoy their jobs and lend liveliness to their actions.
Textbooks or video or computer programs, when available, can be adjusted to local realities. Where for example there are no apples, why should apples be used to explain the letter A in reading programs?
Long before her ambassadorial role with UNESCO, Hakim, together with several companies, including Metro TV, RCTI and Plaza Indonesia, was already working with a foundation that provided teacher training. Children are Indonesia’s future and the priority is not only economic progress but human dignity.
Hakim visits remote regions at least every three months to evaluate their progress, besides providing new impulses for local governments to take a more active part in educational infrastructure.
She stresses the importance of including elements of local culture in school activities. In a way, the actress has become the voice of remote regions with specific problems.
Many volunteers are required for part-time work in regions as a result of the shortage of teachers. Hakim reckons at least 2 million volunteer or part-time teachers are now employed in Indonesia.
She also sees herself as playing the role of a motivator, where she can channel energy on the spot to encourage far-reaching changes.
Christine praised one technical college in Freeport, Timika, whose students there were able to find employment immediately after graduation.
Hakim also visited neighboring Timor Leste where future teachers are trained in Portuguese to teach.
She said that Indonesia has a moral obligation to offer its educational expertise to help its neighbors.
Recently, she has been promoting a UNESCO program establishing disaster management in Southeast Asia, where floods or earthquakes have devastated entire regions.
Through the program, have teachers learned more efficient ways to cope with disaster by working with local authorities.
Finally, she deplores the fact that Indonesian has been neglected in favor of other languages at private schools. Indonesian is a national language that exists to promote national unity.
When asked whether she had thought about finding an Indonesian successor for when she retires to concentrate on personal projects, she replied: “Of course, but at the moment I am still here!”
