The Importance of Education

Every day, from 7am to 3pm, we go to school to study. But, do you really know about the importance of education? Do you really know why the government of Indonesia make a law on compulsory education for 12 years, from primary school, junior high school, until senior high school?

           Education is one of the most important things that every person should get. Education plays a very important role in your life. Not only in your personal life, but also for your country. All of the students are the young generation which will be the next generation. The development of this country is in the hands of the youth who have high nationalism that will make our beloved country, Indonesia is better than before.

           Not only that, the government make a law on compulsory education to reduce the number of Indonesian people who are illiterate, can not read, as well as writing. Right now, there are 3,4 million Indonesian people who still illiterate. This can happen because some people prefer to find a job to get money rather than to follow education in school. Because in their opinion, go to school and study is a waste of time and not important at all.

            Compulsory education is an effort from the government to develop education in Indonesia. By obliging the young generation to learn in school for 12 years, they are expected to be able to continue their study until university and get a worthy job in the future. This is how the government reduce unemployment in Indonesia, so they can increase the welfare of their family and they can live a better life in the future.

       We need to remember that education is not all about knowledge. It is not always about memorizing the periodic table or learning the history of this country. Education is also about having a good personality, developing a good work ethic, learning time management skill, self-discipline, how to work with others, and so on.

         But, our education system only stresses the knowledge aspects. So, the student’s moral and character are ignored. There are a lot of smart people who have bad characters, such as corruption, fighting, smoking, consuming narcotics, and so on. This is the result of character building in education is not implemented by teachers to all students in schools. 

Actually, the ministry of education has classified that there are 9 pillars of character that should be implemented. They are, first, the character of loving God and all His creation; second, independence and responsibility; third, honesty and speak wisely; fourth, respect and courtesy; fifth, generous, and teamwork; sixth, confident and hardworking; seventh, leadership and justice; eighth, kind and humble, and; ninth, the character of tolerance, peace, and unity.

I believe if those 9 pillars are implemented at all school in Indonesia, our nation, Indonesia will be a great nation with smart people who have a good personality.

So, in today’s competitive world, education is a necessity for everyone, after food, clothing, and shelter. With education, you can get a lot of knowledge and you can learn to have a good personality. With education, you can change your life and change the world. As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”