Most Indonesian children have life goals that are too formal, with few aiming for happy and fulfilled lives, according to the Education and Cultural Ministry's culture director-general, Hilmar Farid.

Hilmar said today’s children were too often taught to live ‘formally’ in a sense of only reaching end goals and pursuing monetary income.

In a discussion titled “A Liberating Education” held by the ministry on Tuesday, Hilmar said, “Only very few Indonesian children lead comfortable, happy and content lives. They are taught to live formally.”

Hilmar elaborated that the freedom of modern life was not utilized imaginatively for development and self awareness and this could be a constraint on young people as they made a place for themselves in society.

“The ability of self-recognition in finding a place in society is a huge problem. Therefore, the best movement today for our generation is the movement to know yourself,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.

Hilmar is also concerned with the ability of the country's younger generation to listen and absorb what is going on in their communities.

“This has also become a big problem; the lack of ability to listen and understand. Both abilities must be improved,” he added. (asw)