THE IRONY OF OUR EDUCATION
(Reflection on National Education Day, May 2nd)
By: Ali Aminulloh
There is an irony that can no longer be concealed by ceremonies, themed billboards, or ceremonial speeches every National Education Day. Amidst the fanfare of various new programs launched in the name of educational advancement, we are witnessing a reality that makes our chests ache: education in this country is still often treated as a supplementary matter, not a core concern for the development of civilization.
The state appears to be very adept at calculating the logistical needs of schoolchildren. The Free Nutritious Meal Program was designed with great care. Kitchens were built, food managers were prepared, employees were recruited, distribution was organized, and the budget was monitored. All of this demonstrates that the state understands the importance of nutritional intake for students. But the irony arises when such attention is not fully commensurate with attention to teachers, the quality of learning spaces, the educational gap, and the character building that is the core of education itself.
We seem to be racing to manage what goes into our students’ stomachs, but we’re still moving slowly to manage what goes into their minds, hearts, and consciousness.
Teachers in many places still face uncertain welfare issues. Schools in certain areas still struggle with deplorable facilities. The disparity in educational quality remains stark. At the same time, cases of violence, bullying, and the loss of role models in the school environment remain unresolved issues. All of this demonstrates that our education system still has significant gaps that cannot be filled simply with slogans of change.
National Education Day, commemorated every May 2nd, was born out of respect for Ki Hajar Dewantara, a figure who believed education was the path to human liberation. Through Presidential Decree Number 316 of 1959, President Soekarno designated Ki Hajar Dewantara’s birthday as a national momentum to remind the nation that education is the primary foundation for people’s awakening.
However, after decades of commemorating National Education Day, the fundamental question remains: are we truly educating, or are we merely busy implementing educational programs?
The 2026 National Education Day theme, “Strengthening Universal Participation to Achieve Quality Education for All,” is truly a noble call for all elements of the nation to participate in advancing education. However, such involvement will be meaningless if only an administrative system is built, while the spirit of education is neglected.
Sheikh A.S. Panji Gumilang, in his concept of the Trilogy of Awareness, reminds us that education is not merely the transfer of knowledge, but rather the process of cultivating awareness. It is this awareness that gradually fosters humanity. Without awareness, schools merely produce graduates. With awareness, schools give birth to human beings.
Philosophical awareness is the first foundation. Students must be guided to understand why they are learning, what knowledge is used for, and how it can elevate their lives. Without this, education will degenerate into a routine of memorization, chasing grades, and chasing diplomas. Students may graduate, but they are not always enlightened.
Ecological awareness is the second foundation. Education must instill the understanding that humans live in harmony with nature and their environment. Discipline, cleanliness, orderliness, respect for food, respect for water, respect for living space are all part of the learning process. Even from the single grain of rice they eat at school, children should learn responsibility, order, and gratitude. Education fails if it only teaches consumption without teaching care.
Social awareness is the third foundation. Schools should be places where children learn to live together, appreciate differences, be sensitive to the suffering of others, and grow in a spirit of mutual cooperation. But how can social awareness develop if education itself remains rife with inequality, leaving gaps between cities and villages, between top schools and underdeveloped ones, between prosperous teachers and those merely surviving?
Herein lies the irony of our education system. We have constantly changing curricula, constantly updating technology, and constantly launching programs, but the fundamental issue of awareness has not been truly addressed. We want to produce a superior generation, but we have not yet fully prepared an ecosystem that honors the educational process.
Education is ultimately too often measured by tangible things: buildings, applications, aid, certificates, projects, and reports. Yet, educational success is determined by intangible things: exemplary behavior, attention, respect for teachers, depth of thought, social awareness, and civilized living habits.
National Education Day should be a day of honesty. A day when this nation pauses to acknowledge that there is still significant work unfinished. That we have not yet fully succeeded in humanizing education. That we are still often more preoccupied with maintaining the system than with caring for the human souls within that system.
Therefore, the most important reflection on May 2nd is not how festive the commemoration is, but how deeply we deepen our awareness to correct the direction.
Because education is not enough just to get children to school. Education must shape them into thinking, caring, and civilized human beings.
If that is not realized, then every National Education Day will always leave a sentence hanging in the air: we have talked a lot about education, but we have not fully and truly educated.**
Indonesia, May 2, 2026
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