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one of the few commonalities that unites the world is that much of our motivation comes from the desire to create a better fu- ture for our children. Part of that endeavour - in addition to striving for better economic, health and environmental conditions - must include providing sufficient education to en- sure the next generation has the capability to continue making progress.
Indonesia is in need of advancement in the area of education, and this is the chal- lenge that has been taken up by Putera Sampoerna, chairman and founder of the Putera Sampoerna Foundation (PSF). His vision is to help improve the education sys- tem but also to create leaders and entrepre- neurs capable of transforming Indonesians into viable global citizens capable of con- tributing locally, regionally, and internation- ally. The belief held by Mr Sampoerna and PSF is that the more advanced the educa- tion quality, the more advanced the country will become. And there is much work to be done.
Education Interrupted
PSF is not deluded about the scale of the task before it. neither do they have any intention of sugar-coating the current condi- tions facing Indonesian youth. As a result of poverty and other factors, each year more than 1.8 million children are unable to con- tinue their education. More than half of In- donesian teachers are under-qualified and there are still many school buildings that are in need of improvement. These substantial issues provide a solid context for Indone- sia’s lamentably low position in UNESCO’s “Education development Index.” of the 127
countries rated during 2011, Indonesia is in 69th place, languishing behind geographi- cal neighbours Brunei (34), Malaysia (65) and Australia (15). This unfortunate situa- tion is at odds with Indonesia’s current eco- nomic growth and social development but it is a problem that must be tackled if the country is going to maintain its significant momentum. Indonesia needs to create a new generation of skilled leaders with integ- rity and vision capable of designing a better future for the nation; PSF has a plan for this very purpose.
Everybody’s Business
PSF’s mission is to educate young peo- ple and also to imbue them with sound prin-
PSF is issuing an open invitation for businesses to invest in tomorrow’s leaders.
ciples, a work ethic, and a social conscious- ness that will enable them to emerge as competent professionals in their individual fields. But responsibility for this undertaking is not seen to be solely the responsibility of the teachers, the parents, or even the gov- ernment. PSF’s mantra is “Creating a Bet- ter Society is Everybody’s Business” and is insistent that everyone must pull together to achieve the radical overhaul that is so ur- gently required.
PSF consists among others of Sahabat Wanita, Koperasi Siswa Bangsa, Bait Al- Kamil and MEKAR, is extremely grateful for the existing support from their strategic partners, however, to achieve the level of change that is needed, PSF would like to
see a Public-Private Partnership set up to escalate the development work. Their invi- tation is to all levels of society, government and business to join the movement and invest in tomorrow’s business leaders, the future’s government officials and, yes, the next generation of teachers and educators.
Welcome Change
With PSF’s passionate attitude toward its work, there are many reasons to be confi- dent that change can be effected and that the future will see ever more Indonesian children receiving a comprehensive and well-rounded education. Since its establish- ment in 2001, PSF has adopted 23 public schools and 5 Islamic schools, distributed more than 34,600 scholarships and provid- ed training for more than 21,500 teachers. In addition, a number of higher education facilities have been established, most no- tably the Sampoerna School of Education, an institution designed to train a future gen- eration of educators, and the Sampoerna School of Business, a training ground for a future generation of entrepreneurs.
Although this article has focused ex- clusively on PSF’s drive to improve the Indonesian education system, this in fact represents just one of the four pillars upon which this social business was founded; the other three being job creation through en- trepreneurship development, public enlight- enment through empowerment of women, and a humanitarian aid program.
While current Indonesian leaders tackle the social, economic and political issues of the day, Mr Sampoerna and PSF are con- cerned with the next generation of leaders who will be tasked with steering Indonesia towards an ever-brighter future.
CoUnTRY
Next Generation
The promise seen in so many other parts of the country’s devel- opment has yet to ring true with Indonesia’s education system. Putera Sampoerna Foundation is calling for urgent investment and reform.
Putera SamPoerna
Chairman & Founder, Putera Sampoerna Foundation (PSF)
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STRATEGY IndonESIA 2013