What is the purpose of education? Is it the only choice in life to reach success? What is success anyway? Have a career in a big famous corporation or become the business owner of some big entreprise or simply enough to fulfill your basic necessity such as food (3 times a day), clothes (certainly not designer clothes) & house? Some people may not be rich, may not highly educated, may not have the dream career, but they are satisfied with their life. Isn't that what is all about? To be satisfied for who you are, for what you do & have self respect & love for yourself...(& others as well).
I Agreed with you Urhee, some of us somehow put education as a higher achievement and hopefuly will change their life.(becoming richer or famous). It is not wrong I believe, but we need to adjust ourself again to understand what actualy education is for? The level of satisfaction can be vary, and it is not suposed to be generalise. I by meant love to have a carier, love to make myself meaningful in order to help other people to not through my experinece back in my old time. with the money I earn, I establish CASH (children After ScHool) is free non-formal education center where they can learn and able to explore their interest and capability.
Some people already present some facts that higher education may be important, but it is not everything! The most important thing is ability to work hard, learn hard & to try hard. No matter where you came from, how high your education is, if you have no self respect & no determination to work, learn & try hard, no great things will happen to you. Adam Malik, our former vice president was a person who learn by reading. He did not have high education. But his determination to learn was incredible & he reached the highest possible career in his life (& our life too perhaps).
Once again, I agreed (maybe we need more people like you in Indonesia )
Your attitude toward your achievment, and I always believe in that. Willingness and open in any suggestions can help. Work/Learn Hard(maybe not always literary "hard")
Anyway, it's true though, education in Indonesia is not cheap. The public school fee may be free, but parents still have to pay for expensive sets of books, uniforms, etc...etc... The most impacted by this situation is the poor. We middle class still have choices. Should we go to public or private school? But the reality getting more dimp for higher education level. Nowadays universities are exessively expensive! Even for middle class, it will be a struggle to put their children there!
What I don't like nowadays about school in Indonesia is, by making all of the uniform, bag and book until shoes provide by school. provide mean parents have to pay for that. The reason why indonesian education is expensive, it is due to corruption in all area of Depdiknas & the school management itself...