Preparing a Qualified Future Generation

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

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In 2015 Indonesia entered a demographic bonus period that will reach its peak in 2030. In this period, the population of productive aged people, aged 15-64 years, constitutes 70 percent of the total population.

Taking advantage of a demographic bonus requires that productive aged people are skilled and qualified to contribute to the work force. This can be measured through the factors of education, skills and also health.

Viewed from the perspective of education, the road will remain an arduous one for the remaining 12 years. If we examine the structure of Indonesia’s workforce at present, we see that from a 122.38 million-strong workforce, 71.5 million people graduated from junior high school or below, while only about 19.8 million graduated from senior high school.

Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency in August 2016, only 12.24 percent of Indonesia’s workforce were university graduates, as compared to 20 percent in Malaysia.

One measure the government instituted to address this situation was the nine-year compulsory education policy, followed by the 12-year compulsory education policy. The government also distributes Smart Indonesia Cards (KIP) to try and improve attendance and address drop out rates.

The approach is still far from perfect. Of the 4.3 million children who were unable to take part in year nine basic education in 2016, not all were catered for. Moreover, there are still 2.9 million children who dropped out of school or do not attend, who have not received the KIP. Out of that number, only 572,909 have been identified in the data.

Meanwhile, higher education, which is expected to supply the skilled workforce needed in the increasingly competitive global era, is generally still low in quality. Of the 4,730 higher educational institutions currently in existence, 4,300 have C level accreditations, while only 55 have A level accreditations.

Many challenges lie ahead as efforts are made to improve education levels in Indonesia. Rising intolerance, the spread of fake news and hoaxes and political commotion all pose threats to this objective. Character building in schools is expected to enable students to ward off threats that could divide the nation.

Half are women

Taking advantage of the demographic bonus also requires empowering people, half of whom are women. With the quality of many women’s lives remaining relatively low, mainly due to poverty and poor education, Indonesia could waste the opportunity and potential it has for growth.

The quality of women’s lives is crucial for the coming generation, particularly as it relates to parenting and the provision of nutrition for their children. Data from the Global Nutrition Report in 2016 placed Indonesia in the top five for countries with chronic malnutrition problems.

Chronic malnutrition produces stunting in children, which, according to the Basic Health Research Report 2013, affects 9 million, or 37.32 percent, of Indonesia’s children. Indonesia lags behind by Myanmar (35 percent), Vietnam (23 percent) and Thailand (16 percent).

Poor environmental management caused by market-driven development also threatens the health of the younger generation. Unsafe mining practices, such as the use of mercury in gold mining, have been proven to harm the health of children.

All of these problems can be overcome if there is good will and cooperation among all stakeholders, as well as an acknowledgment that investing in building a better and stronger young generation is as important as building infrastructure.