The competitive and superior Indonesia of the future is in the hands of 79.55 million children who will lead the nation in 2045.
By
SONYA HELLEN SINOMBOR
·2 minutes read
Kompas/AGUS SUSANTO
An early childhood education (PAUD) class is held for one hour with strict health protocols at community unit (RW) 022 in Kampung Rawa Pasung, West Bekasi district, Bekasi, West Java, on Wednesday (22/7/2020). The small community has been implementing its own measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 for the three months. Messages about health and hygiene adorn the walls of narrow alleyways in the densely populated residential area. Residents donate free food packages for neighbors in need and provide a quarantine area for those affected by COVID-19.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The competitive and superior Indonesia of the future is in the hands of 79.55 million children who will lead the nation in 2045. It is therefore vital to prepare children from an early age by teaching them the values of statehood, solidarity and nationalism.
"Without this [effort], we will be extremely concerned and anxious. Children may be able to adjust later, but they might fail in guiding themselves, let alone guiding the nation once they have won [public] trust [as leaders]," said Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy on Wednesday (22/7/2020) in Jakarta at the 2020 award ceremony of the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA), which was held as part of the National Children\'s Day 2020 commemorative event.
According to Muhadjir, inside every child is a “black box” whose contents are unknown. Every child is complex, in terms of both intelligence and thinking.
"This ‘black box’ will determine what the child will become [as an adult]. However, we also cannot fully rely on this black box or intervene with it in any way, so the child will become whatever he or she will become," he said.
We would like to provide a happy day for all children in the country without discrimination.
Parents cannot leave their child\'s future to the child’s natural abilities, because human beings are “homo educandum“ (creatures that must be educated). Children must be protected and nurtured from birth so they can discover their true selves, become independent and attain self-guidance.
Women\'s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister I Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati said that National Children\'s Day was an occasion to remind all parties that protecting children is a collective responsibility as mandated by law, and that therefore, efforts must continue to guarantee children\'s rights.
"At the peak of National Children\'s Day, we would like to provide a happy day for all children in the country without discrimination. Children with disabilities, children from cities and from villages, even from disadvantaged, border and remote regions, including children affected by the impacts of Covid-19, we invite them to be joyous together," she said.
Bintang advised all children not to give up during the epidemic, but to stay strong and resilient so they can overcome the challenges of the health crisis.
