Jokowi Wants Parents to Invest in Early Childhood Education
19 August 2014 13:08 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo is advising residents to brace for the imminent establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, as national borders will cease to become a hurdle for establishing businesses internationally.
“It could be the case that Singaporean doctors would start to establish their practices here, even Singaporean street vendors may soon begin hawking their products here,” said Jokowi at an event at the City Hall on Tuesday, August 19, 2014.
To anticipate the increasing competition with foreign businesses that will come with the establishment of the AEC, Jokowi advised parents to provide the best education for their children in a bid to increase their competitiveness. “The competitions is only going to get even harder,” said Jokowi.
To achieve that goal, Jokowi wants education to play a role in forming the basis of an efficient and productive human capital. “A qualified labour force churns out quality products,” added Jokowi.
The kind of education that Jokowi is referring to is family education and early childhood education. According to Jokowi, payouts from investments in those areas will become visible in 10-20 years to come.
ERWAN HERMAWAN
