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Citizenship education and social justice
Diversity in cultures, ethnicities, languages and races, and religions, which typifies a nation-state like Indonesia can run the risk of being colluded in exclusivity, but in the end, can pose a threat to the nation’s unity.
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Children walk home from school under the scorching sun. (JP/Anggara Mahendra)
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s 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 only for the more privileged. It has indeed become the consumption of the regime of the rich, furthering class stratification.
Thus, those who land their careers as education practitioners will find themselves wondering if equitable education is possible under the oft-voiced catchphrase global economy, which by contrast seems complicit in sustaining inequality in education.
The adoption of neoliberal economy, which finds the commodification of education in all levels a promising business sector, certainly serves as the antithesis to the idea of equity in education. Surely, this doesn’t go to the very heart of the spirit of national education our founding fathers had envisioned.
Hard-pressed with the tight global competitiveness, the government needs to assure that younger generations, regardless of their backgrounds, are granted the privilege the get quality education through the full support from the state.
