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hat drives president-elect Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo to push the idea of a '€œmental revolution'€ to become public discourse is the failure of the reform movement in 1998 to bring about fundamental change in the country'€™s politics, economy and social culture.

Instead, reformasi has entailed a number of unexpected downsides, manifested in negative social behaviors, such as indiscipline, dishonesty, intolerance, selfishness and a tendency to break the law.

Although the reform movement succeeded in creating a modern democratic system, it led to what is pejoratively called '€œtransactional politics'€, replete with corruption, vote-buying, bribery and other illicit goings-on.

This situation is a clear indicator of the lack of integrity of those who hold power in the executive, legislative and judiciary bodies.

We have frequently seen state officials abuse public power, which shows the loss of public morality and social ethics. It seems that Jokowi was so fed up with the unintended results of reformasi that he deems the mental revolution a panacea for those social pathologies.

A classic proverb says that every revolution starts in the mind; so does the mental revolution. It is about changing the mindset of Indonesian people in how they make use of their potential to be more productive and to achieve good things.

The mental revolution is essentially connected with a state of mind asserting that Indonesians are rich in energy and creativity, so they are able to put in good performances and attain high achievements.

The mental revolution will alter the way of thinking, attitudes and behaviors toward the country'€™s advancement. It comprises a number of elements: work ethic, need for achievement, productivity, cooperation and solidarity, responsibility, self-discipline and respecting law and order.

The mental revolution underpins social and political transformation by promoting a positive point of view in how people think, behave and perceive a better future life.

Therefore, it must be conceived as a sort of cultural engineering project to create collective effort for the betterment of the nation.

The question is: how does the mental revolution work? And what is the appropriate medium to implement it? There are many ways of carrying out the mental revolution and of putting it into practice. Education is obviously one of the best approaches for implementing the mental revolution.

Education must be perceived as a way not only to transfer knowledge and skills, but also to inculcate noble values, social norms, cultural identity and national dignity.

With reference to one of Soekarno'€™s trisakti ideological doctrines, personality in culture (berkepribadian dalam kebudayaan), education is the most effective approach to developing good character in young people.

Theoretically, education is a medium by which all human potential '€” cognitive skills, affective and kinesthetic aptitudes, character and personality '€” can be developed in parallel with psychological development. But it is important to note that that human potential is not automatically transmitted, but socially learned through the long process of education.

In this case, it is relevant to quote a famous Indian poet and educator, Swami Vivekananda, who said: '€œEducation means that process by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, intellect is sharpened and mental power is developed, as a result of which one can stand on one'€™s own feet.'€

Since the mental revolution is closely connected with individual personality, character development is the key. Therefore, we need to take into account the importance of culture in the formation of one'€™s personality.

A number of classic scholarly works by prominent anthropologists such as Margaret Mead'€™s Coming of Age in Samoa (1928) and Ruth Benedict'€™s Patterns of Culture (1934) have clearly illustrated that culture has a profound impact on the development of individual'€™s personality through familiarization.

They convincingly argue that familiarization creates personality patterns, shaping a person'€™s emotions and thoughts, as well as social behaviors and cultural values.

This leads individuals to become adjusted and productive members of their society.

Furthermore, it is argued that character reflects the moral quality of an individual that can be cultivated and nurtured through education. Emile Durkheim'€™s Moral Education (1961) elucidates that education is a critical method to cultivate a moral being, and it is therefore necessary to implant it in the minds and characters of individuals.

Here, the role of school, being an integral part of the education system, is certainly pivotal.

A number of anthropological studies on education have compellingly explained that school is a social institution that plays a central role in cultural transmission, becoming an agent of socialization of cultural values and norms used as the basis for developing the character of the nation.

This argument matches Durkheim'€™s view that: '€œIt is in our public schools that the majority of our children are being formed. Public schools must be the guardians par excellence of our national character. They are the heart of our general education system.'€

Unequivocally, schools must be in the vanguard of the mental revolution. We need to create a positive school culture by involving every member of the school community '€” teachers, students, parents, school personnel and principals '€” to work together and develop collegiate relationships based on shared values, beliefs, attitudes and respect, which are supportive of teaching-learning processes.

It is believed that school culture greatly influences student achievement, behavior and attitude, and reflects the school'€™s social norms.

School culture is therefore essential as it cultivates the virtues of character that contribute to human and societal flourishing. Indeed, school culture is indispensable to the mental revolution.