The Pursuit of Knowledge

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Jesse

One thing I learned quickly in Indonesia is that education is paramount.  While all citizens must complete a minimum of nine years of compulsory education, as mandated by the Ministry of Education and outlined in the constitution as a basic right, many see the benefits of education beyond this national requirement.  Even in the remote rural villages of Sulawesi a large percentage of farmers is educated at the high school or vocational level.  I find this remarkable, since in my experience farmers frequently demonstrate an extremely myopic view when it comes to opportunities and incentives, and tend to overlook possibilities that offer future returns when costs are incurred in the short-term.

Oftentimes in developing countries, and especially in rural areas where the need for extra hands on the farm is greatest, parents forgo education for their children and instead enlist them to lighten the burden of laborious farm work.  As a result, children never fully realize their true potential or develop the means to help themselves, creating a continuous cycle of dependence.  I strongly believe that education unlocks opportunities for those less fortunate and paves the road to empowerment and self-sufficiency.  Indonesians seem to share the same sentiment and approach towards education, which many feel supports the government’s fifth principle of Pancasila (guiding principles that comprise a philosophical framework intended to govern everyday life), or social justice for all the people of Indonesia.  The result is a strong focus on education as a tool for achieving a higher quality of life.  My inclination is that this emphasis on education may be causally linked to higher than average incomes for these farmers compared to the rest of the developing world.  For example, of the farmers I interviewed, the average daily income was the Rupiah equivalent of approximately US$ 10/day.

On my way to meetings with cocoa farmers upcountry, I would pass large groups of children at 6:30 in the morning on their way to school; it is not uncommon for young children to walk long distances to the nearest school.  This dedication was echoed by their parents, who take pride in financing their children’s education through any means possible, even at exorbitant interest rates from local moneylenders.

It gives me great pleasure to help facilitate farmers’ access to capital through more appropriate channels where financing terms are fair, allowing a larger percentage of the loan to be used for revenue-enhancing farm activities and reducing the stress of repayment that is evident under such harsh loan terms.  With a higher revenue stream from more sustainable farming practices, farmers could then finance their children’s education without reliance on loans. The ultimate goal of my project is therefore to break farmers’ dependence on exploitive sources of funding and provide them with a fighting chance of becoming self-sufficient. 

Pancasila plaque hanging in a classroom

Vocational school in Bone-Bone

Working with vocational students