As we commemorate National Education Day, which falls on May 2, we should not lose sight of two important facts: every Indonesian citizen, irrespective of race, religion, ethnicity and social status is granted full rights to get access to quality education; and global forces continuously challenge nationalism and the identity politics of the nation-state. It is fair, therefore, to say that only through better access to education will children and adults alike be able to seize opportunities in a highly competitive global economy and to refrain from being engrossed in assimilationist ideology, which strips them off their national civic identity. We need to be mindful that the discourse on global market that highlights the importance of access to education to assure a nation’s survival brings with it a paradox. Within this discourse, education has become a commodity reserved ...

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