Indonesia will celebrate its centennial in 2045. It is such a ripe age for a country, and one that deserves to become advanced instead of continuing as a developing one. The year 2045 is not that far off from today.
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Indonesia will celebrate its centennial in 2045. It is such a ripe age for a country, and one that deserves to become advanced instead of continuing as a developing one.
The year 2045 is not that far off from today. Only 27 years are left. Children currently studying at elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and vocational schools will be 35 to 45 years old in 2045. By then, they will have been leaders, be it in business, social affairs, bureaucracy or politics. In short, they will be our future leaders.
Preparing future leaders is surely difficult at a time of global uncertainty, especially with a huge population. National education data in 2016/2017 showed that Indonesia had 44.9 million school-aged children, comprising 25.6 million in elementary school, 10.1 million in middle school and 4.6 million each in high school and vocational school. The number will continue to grow in line with the annual population growth of 1.49 percent.
Apart from a growing population, we may also face other challenges in the future. Therefore, we need to provide education that is in line with the changing times for our children. Conservative education not based on the needs of the future will only be outdated and lead to a higher number of unemployed people.
Currently, a number of traditional jobs have been things of the past. On the other hand, many new jobs are emerging, especially those related to informatics, such as data analysis, cybersecurity, web design and digital economy. We need to appreciate the Education and Culture Ministry’s move of developing youths’ vocational skills and revitalizing vocational schools.
The ministry is preparing to provide new subjects in vocational education that are in line with the latest developments in informatics, such as virtual reality, 3D printing, augmented reality and online business. Vocational schools’ revitalization will be in the form of adjusting their education in line with industries’ needs, improving teachers’ competence, certifying vocational school graduates and direct collaboration with industries.
Apart from considering industries’ needs, it will be wise to consider the nation’s needs in the future. With an annual population growth of around 4.4 million people, food needs, for instance, will continue to grow. On the other hand, youths’ interest of working in agriculture is declining. If this is neglected, we will remain a food importer in the future.
We remind all relevant stakeholders to never neglect agriculture. Vocational schools must also prioritize agriculture and how technological innovations can be used to support it. Agricultural education without considerations of technological innovations will be of no interest for the youth.
Other than technology innovation, we must not forget about improving teachers’ quality in vocational education. People often complain that many of the nation’s 276,000 vocational school teachers do not have the proper educational background to teach their subjects.
We have much work to do in the face of rising challenges of the future. However, with sincere and strong will, alongside the capability to anticipate the needs of the future, we will make it through those challenges together.