Education for All: UN, US, and Indonesia

Everybody, with or without disabilities, has a right in getting education. Education is a fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights (UNESCO, 2007). The Article 31 of The 1945 Constitution (UUD 1945) notes that education is the right of every citizen.  However, many schools do not give opportunities for people with disabilities to learn in the school because of problems, such as the problem in delivering message. Inclusive school and university is an alternative way to overcome this problem.

United Nations (UN), as intergovernmental organization, supports the program in equal education for people with disabilities. Through United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UN supports various international Human Rights Treaties and Conventions that uphold the right to education of all persons including article 24 of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (UNESCO, 2006). UNESCO promotes policies, practices, and programs to ensure equal education opportunities. Not only making them, but it also offers many books to support the program, such as changing teaching practices, overcoming exclusion through inclusive approaches in education, open file on inclusive education, and others. They are free downloaded books. They help schools and teachers having students with disabilities. In 2008, UN held the 48^th Session of International Conference on Education (ICE), Inclusive Education: The Way of The Future. It focused on the education for all students and paying special attention to the inclusive education of students with disabilities (UNESCO, 2008). In short, as a highest organization, UN provides and develops many programs in education, including equal education for people with disabilities.

The United States (US), as a part of UN, participates in developing inclusive school which provides the curriculum and programs. The interesting program developing education for people with disabilities is Inclusive Schools Week. Inclusive Schools Week is an annual event sponsored by the Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) and Stetson & Associates, Inc., which is held each year during the first week in December (inclusiveschools.org). The week celebrates the progress that school made in providing quality education for the students, including student with disabilities. It also accommodates a discussion in order to ensure the schools continue to improve the quality of education. In that week, there are many interesting activities, both for faculty and students. Briefly, US contribute in developing inclusive schools.

Indonesia has a great homework in providing inclusive schools. Nonetheless, this country is trying to take an important role in developing inclusive schools and universities. It happens in many cities, including Yogyakarta. In this city, there are many inclusive schools and university, such as MAN Maguwoharjo, SMA Muhammadiyah 4, SMAN 1 Sewon, and UIN Sunan Kalijaga. In those, students with disabilities learn together with students without disabilities. UIN Sunan Kalijaga provides Pusat Layanan Difabel (The Service Center for People with Disabilities) which helps them in learning and improving their skill, such as Braille book, learning media, entrepreneurship skills, and other programs. This university, in Jumat sermon, helps deaf students by providing sign language translator and the mosque provide special facilities for students with disabilities. Research in disabilities learning gets more attention and chances in getting research fund. To summarize, Indonesia is still trying in developing inclusive school and provide education for all.

All in all, Education is a fundamental right for people in this world and education institutions should provide education for all, no matter the students’ condition. Government also guarantees this runs well. Education is the only way in making the world better and it is a differentiator among human with other creatures.  

Contradictive Habits: Take off shoes before entering a house & Do Littering

Indonesia is a multicultural country with many races scattered in all directions. There are many good cultures inherited by ancestor, or bad ones and they have became habits that are implemented in daily activity. There are contradiction habits implemented by Indonesians. For instance, take off shoes before entering a house is an example of good habits that can be found in many places in Indonesia to keep a house clean. On the contrary, throw things out of car window and do littering is one of bad habits that are easily found in the community. There are some reasons why people do those habits.

As initial, take off shoes before entering a house can be found easily in some places in Indonesia, especially in rural residents. They do this to keep clean and maintain the sanctity. The majority of Indonesian people are Muslim and they use their house not only as living house, but also they use them as place worship. It is reasonable because mosque must be clean because it is a requirement to pray. Thus, taking shoes before entering house is one of ways to keep clean.

Some people, as another reason, do this habit as a way to bring in the luck to their house. This belief is inherited by ancestor as the step that should be implemented to keep luck in life. However, this is reasonable because it will keep clean the house and by this way, it will make people willing to come. In short, taking off shoes before entering a house will bring in luck because it will make the house clean.

Keep cleaning as a good tradition should be kept and preserved and implemented in daily activity. Unfortunately, some people do the opposite or do these at the same time. They take off shoes before entering a house but in other time they throw things out of car window or do littering. They do them subconsciously because these two opposites have been habits.

Do littering is done by some people because of some reasons. Do littering is not a big problem for some people because they are not disturbed and their parents do the same thing. May be, do littering is not be a problem in the past because old people used leaves as food container and leaves are organic materials. They will be decomposed by themselves. Nowadays, people should not do the same thing because they use plastic or other materials which can’t be decomposed. Thus, some people do littering because their parents do the same thing in front of them.

Limited and inaccessible trash cans are other reason why people do littering. In some place, trash cans are available, but in other place they are not. So, some people think doing littering is fine because they are in emergency condition. They demand the government to provide trash cans before keep clean. It is reasonable but awareness in maintaining the cleanliness is the most important one and it is not solely the government’s responsibility.

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors but we borrow it from our children. This quote shows us that keep clean and environment should be done by every people in this world. Indonesians should be able to distinguish good and bad custom and traditions. Good traditions should be implemented and the bad ones should be left.