Indonesia's Low Percentage of Higher Education Population Hinders Economic and Societal Development

A college education is a ticket to the future. Expanding the population with a higher level of education is the key to constructing a society.

In Indonesia, however, the population of individuals with higher education -- diplomas, undergraduates, and beyond -- remains extremely low. We begin with the data. LSI Denny JA's survey was conducted in August 2023. There are more people in Indonesia who have merely completed elementary school than any other level of education. Approximately 60% of the population did not graduate from high school or elementary education. The majority of Indonesians have completed only elementary and secondary school.

In contrast, the percentage of students with accomplished diplomas, undergraduates, and postgraduates remains below 10%. This group of individuals is referred to as the intelligent folk. There are very few educated individuals. Their exact percentage is only 7.8%. This percentage can be compared to data from other nations.

These are the five countries with the largest higher education populations.

Canada is the first largest country in the globe. This country has a 56.27 percent population with a college degree or higher. In Japan, the rate is fifty percent. Israel 49 percent. In South Korea, they account for 46.8 percent. The percentage of the population with a college degree is roughly five times higher in the countries listed above than in Indonesia.

Why is it crucial for a nation to have as many educated citizens as possible? These are several causes.

First, education promotes economic development. They embody the scientific ethos. They discover innovations and develop technologies that stimulate economic growth.

Secondly, spheres of higher education also strengthen Civil Society. They are able to coordinate themselves and strengthen the group with their knowledge.

In a democracy, a robust government is not the only thing that matters. Likewise, the society at large must be powerful. They are also cultural connectors on a global scale. Through their interactions, numerous global events and cultural values circulate at a rapid rate.

The crucial function of educated people is to develop and modernize a nation. Therefore, the government must employ a variety of strategies to increase the percentage of educated Indonesians.

Priority must be given to increasing the percentage of the Indonesian population with a higher education from less than 10 percent to more than 10 percent, then 20 percent, and 30 percent. And ultimately, their population exceeds fifty percent of Indonesia's population.

Indeed, higher education is a ticket to the future.

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A survey was conducted on 1,200 respondents on a national scale with multi-stage random sampling. The margin of error is 2.9%

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Ekspresi Data Denny J.A, 2023