Building an anti-corruption culture in schools

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JAKARTA (ANTARA) – Building a country with an anti-corruption culture is not something that can be done overnight, but it takes a long time, requires persistence, and must be instilled in every child from an early age.

Apart from the family, school is one of the institutions that is intrinsically linked to the education of the younger generation and is the most appropriate institution to inculcate anti-corruption values in children from an early age.

Therefore, schools must be free from all corruption. However, the Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) reported that some schools have engaged in corruption in the admission of new students.

The KPC’s 2023 Education Integrity Survey (SPI) revealed corruption in the admissions process for new students.

Survey respondents included students, educators, teachers, and leaders of educational institutions.

It assesses three main areas: the integrity of students and parents, the education ecosystem, and the risk of corruption in education administration.

About 24.6% of teachers surveyed said that some students were admitted to their schools because they gave some kind of “gift” to the school.

42.4% of the teachers surveyed said that students who were originally not worthy of admission were eventually admitted because they or their parents gave gifts to the school.

Due to the large number of schools in Indonesia, the KPK’s findings cannot be ignored, so all parties need to take this issue seriously and address it.

Some people even joked that new students can be admitted through school districts, grades, certifications, changes, etc., but now there is a new way, which is “tuition waiver.”

Of course, there is a reason for this joke and therefore, it must be dealt with wisely to deter other acts of corruption in educational institutions in the future.

Corruption should not exist and should not be allowed to occur in the field of education, because students will enter society with the knowledge they have learned in school.

Students learn not only from books but also from everything they see and experience in school.

At this stage of running schools, it is imperative to inculcate the values of integrity in students, rather than irresponsible and corrupt practices.

If students continue to be exposed to corrupt practices, it is not surprising that they may also emulate such behavior in adulthood.

It is inappropriate for parents to use any means to get their children into prestigious schools, even resorting to illegal means such as corruption. This will teach these children to achieve their goals by any means necessary.

Actions such as cheating are sometimes considered trivial but are essentially corrupt practices that are “contagious” and encourage other students to follow suit.

Other forms of corruption that often occur in educational settings are related to discipline, such as students or teachers not arriving on time or being absent without reason.

It can be seen how important the environment is in shaping children’s behavior.

If anti-corruption values are taught, then the outcome is good for everyone. But if corrupt behavior is inculcated, then many people will be harmed in the future.

KPK is particularly concerned about the custom of parents of students giving gifts to teachers so that their children get special appreciation or good grades.

These seeds of corruption should not exist in the education sector because young people pursue education as they will become the backbone of the country in the future.

Among each new generation, there are some students who later become officials, working in both government departments and private enterprises.

Aidi Subkan, a lecturer at the Education and Psychology Research Program at Semarang State University (Unnes), said anti-corruption education and learning should move from theory to practical action.

He said in his study titled “Anti-corruption Education from a Critical Pedagogy Perspective”, calling for practical actions to prevent and combat corruption in schools.

“Anti-corruption education should not just be a long discussion of definitions, norms or ethics, but must also invite students to actively seek information, formulate actions, take action and reflect,” Subukan explained.

In this way, anti-corruption education can be transformed.

Subukan said that by applying these important teaching principles, anti-corruption learning becomes more meaningful for students because they have real-life experience in rigorously preventing and combating corrupt practices.

Moving forward together

The KPC has consistently stated that it cannot eradicate corruption on its own and has called on all sectors of society to join forces in the fight against corruption.

The statement of the Anti-Corruption Commission is not just empty words. A closer look shows that there are indeed roots of corruption in society that must be eradicated from an early age, such as in the education sector.

The fruits of the anti-corruption practices we inculcate in the field of education today will be reaped by the next generation of the country.

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