Education is intangible investment. I have been a teacher for more than 8 years. There are many things that I know about education in my country. Education is a way to change to better life. Without education, one will find some hardship in his life. There are some formal and informal educations. Schooling is a formal education that all children should get. While informal education is for everyone to improve skills and knowledge on certain field.

Formal education.

I do not have much knowledge how education system in other countries. Let’s start the topic with education system in my country.

• Primary school
  In my country children will enter primary school at the age of 6 to 7. Before that they have to accomplish kindergarten or play group. Primary school lasts for 6 years.
• Junior school
  Junior school is three years attending class. In junior school children learn math, social, science , history , civic and religion. Religion is a compulsory subject in my country. In my country there are five main religions that are thought on school. Islam, Protestant, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism. There are also some beliefs from old Indonesian that is generated from the ancestors. The belief is not religion but it is acknowledged as a God belief.
• Senior school or vocational school
  After finishing 3 years of junior school, children should finish three years of higher school. Senior school is for students who want to continue to universities while vocational school is for students who want to get job after they graduate.
• Diploma and Undergraduate
  After three years in higher school, some students continue to Diploma or Undergraduate degree. Diploma lasts for three years and undergraduate degree lasts for four years.
• Higher education
  This is for doctorate degree. Only few students who continue to higher education.

Those are stages of education in my country. People should have a university certificate to get into market job. To get to work in government office, skill sometimes is not priority. The requirement is based on scoring in the certificate. Badly, some job seekers bribe with some money to get accepted in government institution. In here the competition is not fair.

While market job in private companies need certificate and skill. If you have skill but you have no university certificate you can not enter the job market.

Informal Education

Informal education aims to educate skill in some job fields. There are some informal education like driving course, programming, foreign language, cooking class, and other skills. This education is for everyone who wants to master a certain skill of job.

Non formal worker - Street seller

Is formal education important?

Children should finish nine year of basic education in my opinion. After that, they can add with informal education if they want to get a job. Even, a university graduate sometimes need informal education to add their skill. It is difficult to get a job if one only finished junior school. Minimum requirement for low labor market is senior or vocational school graduate. Some people say that they do not need formal education. I do not agree with them because having no certificate of minimum 9 years education will find difficulties to get job. Not all people are able to be entrepreneur that no need formal education. Besides that, one who not passes nine year education will be inferior socially. That is why nine year formal education is needed.

One who is successful in business without formal education

There are many stories businessmen in my country that do not pass nine year education. However, those stories for them who were born before 90s. Old people who were born in 50s to 80s still have great opportunity to make successful living and business but today , I think the situation has changed. One of the success story who was successful without formal education is Susi Pujiastuti. She is a strong woman. She was a successful business woman in my country. Now, she has air transport company with the name Susi Air. Susi used to be a fisher woman, I mean a trader of fish. She lived near a beach where she traded fish with fishermen. Then she made successful business in exporting fish. She then widened her business to air transportation. She also became The Minister of Fisheries of Indonesian Government from 2014 to 2019. Susi is an example one who made success in life without formal education.

Susi Pujiastuti
Image : Coconuts.co

My opinion about education

Formal education is needed because in formal education, children are nurtured gradually. Socially, formal education status is very important in my society. Skills without formal education is also important to improve quality of a person. I do not deny that there are some people who made successful without formal education but to be like the person is not for everyone. In my family, I always encourage and support to go to school. I motivate them to accomplish their study. I do not know what they want to be but I should give them the best education to achieve their dream.

My boy with his mates