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n a few months the stress of high school students will reach its peak with the national examinations, though Culture and Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Anies Baswedan has said the final assessments will not solely comprise the exams. Millions will then join the wave of job seekers, while a smaller portion will apply for higher education. The frustration will not be limited to the new job seekers. Those looking for fresh recruits will face the reality of the average low skills in reading and mathematics of high school graduates, as the last global PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) has revealed more than 50 percent of Indonesia'€™s 15-year-olds lack these basic skills.

The figures were cited in the report on the nation'€™s education released last week by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Its recommendations reiterated calls for urgent improvements in our education '€” improve quality, widen participation and improve efficiency in the allocation of resources.

Regarding quality of teachers, among other things the OECD experts urged more project work involving teamwork rather than the didactic method '€” the outdated, uncreative way of teaching that predominates in classrooms despite changes in the national curriculum.

Increasing participation through higher student enrollment and making sure youngsters stay in school is still urgent. The OECD likened Indonesia'€™s education to '€œa leaking pipe'€, given the high number of drop-outs in the transition from basic education to high school and from junior high to senior high level '€” despite the national nine-year compulsory education. The report notes that less '€œthan one-third of Indonesians complete secondary education'€.

In areas across the country, despite a nearly universal elementary-level enrollment to grade six, parents of poor families from fishing and agricultural communities often pull older children out of class for weeks so they can help with the household'€™s earnings. Such a situation is related to poverty and increased inequality, as the report also noted, given that certain areas still have 90 percent of residents earning less than US$2 a day, the current poverty line.

Inequality necessitates a better allocation of resources, the OECD notes. Apart from a larger investment in education, it recommends more efficient distribution of government funding such as school operational assistance (BOS) funds, to increase support for the schools which most need aid.

For those lucky enough to pursue higher education, the report confirms that most institutions are below minimum standards. Demographers and educators alike remind us of the urgency to reap the '€œdividend'€ of the currently high proportion, 43 percent, of our 250 million people being under 25 through greater investment in the education and health of Indonesia'€™s younger generation.

Yet beyond all the rhetoric, grand plans and workshops on teacher improvements, the images of little children crossing rickety bridges high above ravines, or wading through strong currents across rivers just to get to school in several areas '€” reveal all too glaringly that elders and local authorities do not care that much for the safety of their young, not to mention the quality of their education.