Kenneth Yeung looks at how Indonesia’s fondness for uniforms has created opportunities for corruption and manipulation.
“If I am occasionally a little overdressed, I make up for it by being always immensely over-educated.” So quipped Oscar Wilde in 1890.
In Indonesia, uniforms are mandatory, from schools to much of the civil service and various occupations. Whether it’s a safari suit, a jilbab, or an ojek jacket, there is a culture of conformist fashion, not always matched by high levels of education. On the contrary, institutions tasked with teaching and enforcing rules and ethics often fail to uphold those values.
Uniforms are supposed to represent equality and discipline. In Indonesia, they have become a revenue stream for some educators. Many schools force parents to buy children’s uniforms at marked-up prices, sold only through a single cooperative or vendor, or even paid directly into a principal’s bank account.
When such malfeasance starts in school, where the focus seems to be more on manipulating budgets than imparting independent, rational thinking – is it any wonder that Indonesia has ongoing problems with corruption and civil strife? This is manifested by public disrespect for those in authority and uniform, as seen in recent riots against legislators and police.
In Tangerang, west of Jakarta, a 38-year-old housewife named Nur Febri Susanti (38) gained attention in July after revealing her struggle to enrol her two children in a local elementary school because the principal demanded an extortionate amount for uniforms.
Nur sells pempek (fishcakes) to supplement the earnings of her husband, who works as a parking attendant. Their meagre income did not stretch to the Rp2.2 million requested for school uniforms by Ira Hoeriah, the principal of Ciledug Barat State Elementary School, who ordered that the money be transferred into her personal bank account.
After Nur’s case went viral, the principal was suspended pending an investigation. Local officials have said she could be fired as a form of “shock therapy” to other school principals. Just fired, not fined or jailed.
In North Sumatra, about 800 students in three state junior-high schools in Lubuk Pakam were recently ordered to buy uniforms from a single supplier. Parents had to pay about Rp300,000 per student, whereas the cost price was reportedly Rp140,000, resulting in allegations that school heads received a kickback of Rp100,000 per student. These are not isolated incidents; there are many similar reports.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) this year published the results of its Educational Integrity Survey, which noted systemic problems: misuse of school operational funds, rampant petty extortion in admissions and services, nepotism in procurement, and normalised gratuities.
There are now concerns over a lack of transparency in the government’s costly programme of providing free school lunches across the country. This programme will reportedly take up to 44% of next year’s national education budget, potentially leaving schools with fewer funds.
As the Kompas daily newspaper recently commented on the KPK’s findings, “Education, which should be an ideal place that upholds the values of integrity, has now become a breeding ground for dishonesty.” When classrooms are venues for extortion, students learn to accept that corruption is normal, rather than something that must be punished.
Indonesia does have laws and regulations designed to prevent school officials from extorting parents. Government Regulation No. 17 of 2010 on the Management and Administration of Education prohibits schools and staff from forcing parents to purchase uniforms. Schools, teachers, school committees, and education councils are also prohibited from selling uniforms as a condition of enrolment.
But enforcement of the rules is haphazard, so many parents just pay, rather than go through the hassle of causing a fuss. Large-scale programmes have their own scandals, such as the ongoing case of the Education Ministry’s Rp10 trillion (US$615 million) procurement of Chromebook laptops for state schools.
Social media teachers
Beyond financial abuse, do uniforms really make the man?
As Volodymyr Zelensky experienced at the White House earlier this year, immaculately attired bullies place more value on clothing and grovelling rather than on integrity. Are children being taught that knowledge and character matter more than vanity and fashion? Or is social media, with its relentlessly profit-driven algorithms, now the real teacher?
The lesson being pumped out online is clear: you won’t be happy unless you consume branded goods and then display your affluence online. But where does the money come from for this egregious consumption? From learning, from corruption, or from the OnlyFans route? While pornography is banned in Indonesia, data shows that consumption remains prevalent, especially among young people. Schools sometimes seem to go too far in combating the threat of immorality, such as the case of a girl punished after competing in a regional swimming event in Central Java because her use of a swimsuit violated the school’s religious dress code.
Another worrying development is attempts to rewrite the past. Historians and rights activists have criticised the government’s current project to produce a revised official national history, claiming it is selective for the sake of sanitising or omitting unpleasant facts. If schools do adopt a curriculum that prioritises blind obedience to authority, rather than how to question or ameliorate alleged wrongdoings, how can Indonesia expect public grievances to be aired peacefully and institutions held accountable?
No matter how you dress it up, the education system needs to produce students and citizens who can’t be easily manipulated into public protests, masterminded by those seeking to consolidate power for political ends.
DISCLAIMER: Any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Indonesia Expat.