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Lesson #4: Good family upbringing; strong family ties; real school is at home
We read elsewhere, that China and India will lead the world economies in 2050. Everybody is surprised and is hard to believe that prediction especially concerning India. Not many people know about the country which so far is more known for its Bollywood films and its dancing-on-the-tree than anything else. Whether the forecast would be proven right or not is not important. What I am sure is that, yes these two countries will lead the world sooner or later. One of the key is the good family upbringing: young people are indoctrinated and nurtured by the ethos of hardworking since their childhood.
Especially in India, where I stayed with various Indian family for quite a long time, I know very well how deep the parents’ involvement in seriously educating and nurturing their children the best they can. The determination to be the best is what the parents, and amazingly followed by their children, want. Consequently, supported by government policy of cheap and quality education, the competition is high and so is the result. Just a little clue on how hardworking they are: they just don’t know or not even think how to date until they are in university; barring in some big cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore, many university students don’t have the first date experience until they finish their bachelor degree.
No wonder, if the best students in the USA is usually dominated by foreign students from these two countries, China and India. The key, as mentioned, is strong parents involvement. One of my landlord in New Delhi has five sons. All are studying in science–engineering, math or computer science–and now work in various companies in European countries. The youngest, as his father told me, is the “dumbest” among them, that’s why he coudn’t follow his brothers’ step; he took the lighter course, that’s Commerce.
A friend of mine in India sees the Indian youth amazing determination as temporary. It will fade when the globalization take the full shape in the country and the Indian youth get more “westernized.” I disagree. So far as the family ties is as strong as ever, the phenomenon will be still there. Ethnic Chinese in Indonesia is my example. Though the later are living among the “easy-going” Indonesians, yet they successfully maintain the strong tradition of family conservatism; of hardworking “dogma.”
Indonesian should not ever dream of leading the world if this kind of “family university” are ignored and depend too much on formal education as we do.
December 2, 2007 at 7:50 am
I’m still waiting for the Lesson #5 to #10.
With Smile,
P.M. Faiz
December 2, 2007 at 3:09 pm
realize that in indonesia, i agree with “Home Schooling”. but its so far and long, education culture in indonesia not suport this…
December 5, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Kalau soal china, saya sudah lama tau kalau mereka Negara Kuat. Tp untuk India, awalnya saya pikir mereka gak jauh beda morat-maritnya dengan Indonesia, ternyata begitu ya….
December 8, 2007 at 12:55 am
It is true that we could learn a lot from India and its people. It is amazing to know that India has been producing smart people over these past few decades. In America, Indians are associated with smart people who are either doctors, IT engineers, or at least cab drivers.
December 8, 2007 at 4:58 pm
We are experiencing decline because for decades (upto now) we always have a corrupt government and tolerate too many selfish people to govern this country. If we have a clean government with a good vision, which could provide cheap education, and justice, maybe we would be better, because integrity, character and achievement/education would be the most important thing to value a person; more people could live with hope, because education is available for all. If only people here know, how beautiful and clean this land compared to India… but how little its achievement because of corruption, which also rob the mentality of most of its people,incuding the young generation..
December 8, 2007 at 10:49 pm
@tira: dont forget, our family upbringing is also not that good. what i mean by ‘we’ is the so-called pribumi. chinese indonesian seems to have a better family education. that’s the reason comparatively speaking the latter fare better in all sphere of lives.
we should be ‘professional’ and honest in judging this fact.