Women and Higher Level of Education

               In the past women were always underestimated by society and never involved in parts of education which men could be. Throughout history, women have only had a limited role in society with restricted opportunities (Vanderslice and Litsch, 1998). In fact, both men and women need education for a better life and future. According to Vanderslice and Litsch (1998), women who have increased education are more aware about opportunities for themselves. They are more self-confident, open-minded and more competitive. Nevertheless, most people think that women should not study at school and university to have a higher level of education. If women study at university, they just waste their time because they believe that women’s tasks are at home which do not require a higher education at all. Nevertheless, Indonesian women should study at university and have a higher level of education as equal as men. Based on the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, Chapter XIII and Article 31, states that; (1) every citizen has the right to receive education.

Women have the same right as men do to learn anything and anywhere. Generally, in the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia states in Chapter XA concerning human rights in Article 28C; (1) every person shall have the right to develop him/herself through the fulfillment of his/her basic needs, the right to get education and to benefit from science and technology, arts and culture, for the purpose of improving the quality of his/her life and for the welfare of the human kind. Everyone who lives in Indonesia has the right to get education whether they are males or females. Both have equal right to get a better education as stated in the Constitution 1945. Through education people can develop themselves and improve their quality of life. There is no restriction anymore for women to get a higher education. Therefore, women can get a better education anywhere and they can also learn anything what they want. International world also admits that education is for any person because international people also realize the importance of education for any individual. Education is a fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights, It promotes individual freedom and empowerment and yields important development benefits (UNESCO, 2009). 

Education is important for everyone, including women. Relatedly, the importance of women’s participation in education is critical (UNESCO, 1998). The importance of education for women is to build characters, increase intelligence, and improve knowledge. Wang and Parker (2011) clarify that women who have graduated from college are more likely than men to say their education helped them to grow both personally and intellectually. Intellectual people are those who are educated. They do not only get education to improve their knowledge, but also their personality which will be better if they get education. Furthermore, education improves many aspects in people life, such as religious aspects. Based on the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, Chapter XIII and Article 31, states that; (3) the government shall manage and organize one system of national education, which shall increase the level of spiritual belief, devoutness and moral character in the context of developing the life of the nation and shall be regulated by law. It is clear that the aim of learning for Indonesian residents is to improve spiritual trust, deification, ethic, and personality of the residents. Parker and Wang (2011) say that a college education is necessary in order to get ahead in life these days. Therefore, education will help people survive in life. With a higher level of education, people will get a better job. A more educated individual is more likely to participate in the job market, to have a job, to work more hours, and to be paid more, and less likely to be unemployed (French and Fisher 2009).

As a mother, she should be educated. Mother is an important part in a family, especially for the children. They are those who mostly take care of all of requirement for their children, including education. The first education that children get is home education. And they will mostly get from their mother. Mother is a person who determines their children, whether they will be educated or not. As a result, it is important that women should study at university and get a higher education. Dundar and Haworth (1993) cited that “education of women is important for producing better educated and healthier children, and reducing fertility rates.” Educated mothers will produce educated children too. Parent education correlates positively with children’s health, cognitive abilities, and academic achievement (Smith, Brooks-Gunn, and Klebanov 1997). Educated mothers will also encourage their children to study at school and university. Thus, the children’s life will also get better. Those children who graduate from university are more likely to have a better quality of life and pursue extended education themselves. Those children also have much easier time getting into good schools because their parents have emphasized the importance of an education to them. They also tend to have better grades and test scores (Wann, 2013). Educated people also consider more about their health. It makes them have healthy lifestyles. According to Playdon (2013), apparently those who get a college education are more likely to have a healthier lifestyle. Automatically, they also concern about their families health. Higher levels of education also correspond to improve health and lower rates of mortality, (Grossman and Kaestner 1997; Lochner and Moretti 2004).

Women with a higher education have more chance to have a better job. People who graduate from university have more opportunities to get a better job. The benefits of a higher education also extend to the chances of being employed in the first place. Research by Greenstone and Looney (2011) of the Brookings Institution’s Hamilton Project, shows: “On average, the benefits of a four-year college degree are equivalent to an investment that returns 15.2% per year” (Playdon, 2013). They can compete with anyone including men and they also have the same chance as man in jobs market. Kelly and Slaughther (1991) point out that through qualifications and credentials secured through the higher learning, women would equip themselves for all manners of professional positions, entering the market place and political arena with the same advantages as men. In universities they learn many things that will be useful for their job later, for instance, problem-solving, skills of communication, and managing people. They also train to be professional workers by learning theories and doing many practices. Because of the higher education, they also have opportunities to get a better job as well as the salary. The most-measured benefit of higher education is of course graduate salaries, and the report confirms that higher levels of education do result in higher earning power (Playdon, 2013). Women employees also can be independent for their own financial. It can help themselves to survive and improve their quality of life. Dundar and Haworth (1993) cited that “education of women is important not only from the angle of equal education opportunity between the sexes, but also for the substantial social and economic returns to female education that can be achieved by raising women's productivity and  income level. In addition to that, they also help their family’s life. The children of more highly paid workers are also less likely to grow up in poverty, less likely to be poor as adults, and more likely to be better educated and paid as adults, and therefore less likely to rely on food stamps or other public assistance (French and Fisher 2009; Duncan, Kalil, and Ziol-Guest 2008).

Most people may think that women should not study at school and university.  The thought is totally wrong that women should not study at school and university. The school and university are provided for anyone, like education itself, for any individuals. As United Nation declares in the Universal Declaration of Human Right Article 26; (1) everyone has the right concerning education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and a higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. Everyone in the world has the right concerning education. Certainly, it also states that a higher education should be equally accessible for anyone. It does not depend on anything, including sex. There is no doubt anymore that women can get any level of education. Normative instruments of the United Nations and UNESCO lay down international legal obligations for the right to education, these instruments promote and develop the right of every person to enjoy access to education of good quality, without discrimination or exclusion (UNESCO, 2009). Not only can women access any level of education, but they also deserve to get good quality of education which will impact to the quality of the women themselves. If the quality of the education is good, it will be useful and very helpful for their daily lives. As a mother, they will make their children educated. As a worker, they will be a professional worker and have a higher salary. Those reasons will impact to development of the country. Education is a powerful tool by which economically and socially marginalized adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty and participate fully as citizens (UNESCO, 2009).

Every person may say that education for women is not important. However, the statement is completely false. As United Nation declares in the Universal Declaration of Human Right Article 26; (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. As it states in the declaration, education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality, which means that women are involved in it. It is because it is certainly women are human beings. The purpose of education according to the United Nation is that people can respect more the human right and freedom, and make the world free from discrimination as well as keep the peace of world. According to Lleras-Muney (2005) higher levels of education also correspond to lower rates of crime. Another reason is that the benefits of a more educated population accrue not just to the more educated workers, but also to the future generations and to the broader society (Berger and Fisher, 2013).

All in all, indeed, women should be educated and have degrees of education. The reasons are, women have the same chance as men to learn what they want, any level of education is necessary for everyone who needs a higher level of education, and women should also be smart as a mother. It is recommended that women should study at university to get a higher level of education, since education is important for everyone to extend their knowledge, improve the quality of life, become great mothers and make the women have good personality

References

• http://www.guninetwork.org/resources/he-articles/women2019s-access-to-highereducation#sthash.5PbySrw0.dpuf
• http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
• The 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia
• http://www.unesco.org/new/en/right2education
• http://www.collegeatlas.org

Raadhiyah Mardiyyah

Final Project

E-Sabak Is a New Program from Ministry of Education

              Recently, the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Ministry of Technology has made a new program. They substitute textbooks for electronic books which are called electronic sabak or E-Sabak. The Indonesian government plans to use E-Sabak in outlying regions such as in Papua, Nusa Tenggara Timur, and Kalimatan. Both ministries also cooperate with Telkom Indonesia, the biggest telecommunication company in Indonesia as the provider for the network in the outlying regions. E-Sabak still becomes pros and cons among citizens. People think using of E-Sabak in schools is not effective to support teaching process. Besides, citizens considering the program is only trick of business, the advantages of the program only for some sides not for the society. However, E-Sabak program has advantages and disadvantages for the government and the citizens.

There are two advantages of E-Sabak. Firstly, E–Sabak is a medium to introduce technology to students. There is no doubt that there is imbalance betw­­een people who li­­­­­ve in the capital and people who live far from the capital, including in sides of education and technology. People in the capital have more knowledge about technology because the media are available. In other word, they more educate than people who live far from the capital. In this cases, outlying regions people are left behind from the capital people. The government actually tries to balance the differences through the program.  A book is one of the important aspects of learning process, using E-Sabak is essential to teach technology to students. Because of the E-Sabak will use in every session of learning process. They will learn how to operate tablets PC. In addition, applications in the tablets PC will make students more capable to accustom with technology. The students will learn many kind of application program in the gadgets. Gradually, the students will usual with technology because of using E-Sabak.   

Secondly, E-Sabak is more efficient than textbooks in terms of money and energy. Using of E-Sabak to substitute textbooks are more efficient because the government should not distribute many course books to the schools. The materials will be transfer through the Internet from the government to the schools. It is more practical for the government, teachers, and students. Later on, by using E-Sabak the government hopes no more late distribution for the textbooks. The government should not consider the distribution fee. Teachers and students also should not pay the books fee. In this case, the government save more money and energy. In addition, the books are in the form of tablet PC that the contents are only the electronic books. The students cannot access anything else except the E-Sabak. Moreover, E-Sabak is more interactive than textbooks because teachers can do many quizzes from E-Sabak. The various forms of the quizzes will be included in the gadgets, for example, the quizzes in the form of games. So, the students can do many enjoyable quizzes in different forms in the tablets PC.

On the other hand, there are also two disadvantages applying E-Sabak. First, most of infrastructures in Indonesia are not ready for E-Sabak. Utilizing E-Sabak for education especially, in distant areas will take more times. There is no electricity in most of the areas. The tablets PC need electricity to make it work. So, the government should prepare the electricity first, before starting the program. Moreover, the materials courses will be sent through the Internet from the government to the schools where most of the regions also lack of the Internet signal. The signal must be available in the outlying areas because without it the program might be not successful.

Second, changing textbooks into E-Sabak is not effective for teaching process. Teachers and students in outlying regions are not accustomed to using E-Sabak. They should adjust with the technology that they never use before. It is not easy to accustom to a new thing. Furthermore, E-Sabak applies in gadgets. There is always an opportunity that the equipment will be error. Consequently, the learning process will disrupt because of the error. For example, the tablets will not work because there is an error in the machines because of viruses or computer problems. In addition, the lifespan of gadgets are not longer than textbooks. For instance, a tablet PC will survive at least for five years. After that, the gadget will not work as usual. Gadgets are sensitive and easy to damage because those are machines. Nonetheless, textbooks are not machines. The lifetime is longer than gadgets. So, using of textbooks in learning process are more effective than E-Sabak.

In summary, there are always advantages and disadvantages from a policy. The policy from the Ministry of Education is good for the citizens. Certainly, the government tries to make a well-balanced education between education in the capital and education in the outlying regions. The advantages from the program that E-Sabak is a medium to bring in technology to students and the application of E-Sabak is more ergonomic than the textbooks. Nevertheless, there are two disadvantages of E-Sabak, facility in Indonesia is not accessible and using of        E-Sabak is not effectual. Therefore, citizens should be facing the policy wisely, do not judge the government. Even so, the government must reconsider the advantages and the disadvantages whether the program is good or not for the society.  

Raadhiyah Mardiyyah

Discussion/Public

Is It Good to Take Evening Classes?

            Nowadays, a level of education is an important thing. Many people compete with others to get a higher level of education. People mostly believe that the degree of education will determine better jobs and better income. Berger and Fisher (2013) enlighten the connection between education and income is strong enough. Not only will a high school diploma, technical college certificate, or college degree increase one’s skills and productivity, but it will also increase employers’ motivation so that they can complete their jobs. And because of this reason, a number of universities provide students with evening classes. The purpose of this class is to fill what people’s needs. Those who cannot attend morning classes because they have jobs need evening classes to continue their study. Most people who take the evening classes are workers. Based on recent studies, 54% students who were workers enrolled in education programs. They work in the morning and attend classes in the evening. Many people prefer choosing morning classes to evening classes. For some reasons, evening classes have positive and negative sides for the students.

      First of all, students who attend evening classes will lack sleep. Those who also work do not have enough time for rest because their schedule is very strict. In fact, every person should have adequate sleep. The National Institutes of Health suggests that school-age children need at least 10 hours of sleep everyday, teens need 9-10 hours, and adults need 7-8 hours. Lack of sleep will impact on students performance. Mindell and Owens (2010) say that lack of sleep may result in problems with attention, memory, decision-making, organization, and creativity, all of which are clearly important for success in school. Students who want to have good performance in class should have enough time for sleep. According to Wolfson and Carskadon, additionally the number of hours of sleep is positively correlated with measures of academic achievement (1998).

Second, the time of the evening classes will bring bad effects on students’ performance. Almost all activities in the world start in the morning and end in the evening. For example, learning process of the elementary schools or working in the government starts the activities in the morning and finishes in the afternoon or evening. Morning and evening have different atmospheres that make people usually start any activities in the morning. People who do not usually start their activities in the evening will find difficulty in following the courses in college. It is because the students cannot deal with the learning process. Kamal (2014) says that lack of concentration can rob your motivation and ability to learn new information. When they cannot understand the courses, it will impact on their performance in the class. In addition to that, people will not focus and concentrate on their lessons when the instructors teach them since they are sleepy. At night when there is less light, your brain triggers the release of melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy (Smith, Segal, & Robinson, 2015).

However, the evening classes has two positive sides. Firstly, the schedules of the classes are flexible. The flexibility is opportunity for students who work and cannot wake up in the morning. Moreover, the evening classes give many advantages to those who usually learn in silent atmosphere. Achenbach (1991) explains that evening type students have more difficulty adjusting to the earlier start time than morning types. Most people prefer to rest in the evening. This condition makes the students focus more on the learning process. Moreover, Wahistrom (2002) finds that the later start time has a positive effect on attendance and an insignificant improvement on grades. Even Goldstein et al. (2007) finds that scores on intelligence tests are significantly lower during the early morning hours. For those reasons, the evening classes also improve cleverness, presence and scores.

Secondly, the evening classes are suitable for employees who want to continue their study. It is important to have higher degree in education for those who want to occupy a higher position of a job. The level of education will determine your position especially those who have graduated from universities. As French and Fisher (2009) explain that a more educated individual is more likely to participate in the job market, to have a job, to work more hours, and to be paid more, and less likely to be unemployed. People with a higher education background are more professional than those with a lower education background. It is because in college they learn many theories and practice them which will be useful for their jobs later. They also have more knowledge and skills. Berger and Fisher (2013) suggest that adults with at least a college degree experienced greater increases in productivity, measured as gross state product per hour worked.  

            To conclude, evening classes have plus and minus sides for the students who take the classes. Taking evening classes is good for people who want to achieve a higher degree and cannot attend morning classes. On the other hand, such classes will risk the students. They will not have sufficient sleep if they are students and also employees. It is essential for those who want to attend the evening classes to know the advantages and disadvantages.  

References

http://schoolstarttime.org/early-school-start-times/academic-performance/

http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/

http://www.learn-source.com

http://www.epi.org/publication/states-education-productivity-growth-foundations/

http://www.allfortheghetto.blogspot.in

http://www.helpguide.org

http://www.expertbeacon.com

Raadhiyah Mardiyyah (130222614342)

Discussion Academic/Off H         

The Importance of Having Adequate Sleep for Students

           Students are accustomed to having many assignments. Besides, they also have many activities outside the school. For instance, they join extracurricular programs, they have part-time jobs, and maybe they just hang out with their friends. They have hectic schedules. It makes the students lack of sleep. Carskadon (1990) adolescents themselves have consistently reported that they are not getting enough sleep. People sometimes underestimate the importance of sleep. They think that sleep never affects students performance. On the other hand, the students should sleep adequately in order to have good performance in class. Additionally, the number of hours of sleep is positively correlated with measures of academic achievement (Forister, et al 2007)

Recent scientific research has strengthened the notion that sleep may play an important role in learning and memory, with several studies finding an inverse relationship between sleep and academic performance at both the secondary and post-secondary level (Curcio, Ferrara, and Gennaro 2006). The students need to sleep to refresh their mind. Therefore, they can learn better after they get enough sleep. In addition to that, the students who have sufficient sleep will have good performance in class. Several surveys of sample sizes ranging from 50 to 200 high school students reported that more total sleep, earlier bedtimes, and later weekday rise times are associated with better grades in school (Manber et al, 1995). Moreover, Wolfson and Carskadon (1998) enlighten in general, students with higher grades reported longer and more regular sleep. Specifically, they reported more total sleep, and earlier bedtimes, on school nights than those who have lower grades. The learners who have adequate sleep are those who have organized sleep schedules well. Wolfson and Carskadon (1998) clarify that high school students who had longer total sleep times, small weekend delay or low weekend oversleeps were defined as having adopted adequate sleep habits.

If the students have no sufficient time of sleep, they will have problems in the class. Mindell and Owens (2010) say that not getting enough sleep may result in problems with attention, memory, decision-making, organization, and creativity, all of which are clearly important for success in school. Indeed, those things are crucial abilities for students, for instance, the students have to pay attention to the lessons given when the teaching and learning process is in progress. Paying attention is indispensable to make the students understand about the lessons given by the instructors. According to Bolles, we remember what we understand, we understand only what we pay attention to, we pay attention to what we want (Bucks County Community College, 1999). If the students do not pay attention to the lessons in the class, they will find difficulty in apprehending the instructional materials. Besides, they should have good memory to remember anything that they have learned and comprehended. Memory is the means by which we draw on our past experiences in order to use this information in the present (Sternberg, 1999). The students will find difficulty in recovering their memories without sleep. It helps them recover their memories after learning many lessons in the class.

Furthermore, rest deprivation really influences pupils performance. Quine (1992) declares that persistent sleep problems have also been associated with learning difficulties throughout the school years. Not only does the lack of sleep impact on the students’ performance, but it also impacts on the learning process and students behaviors. Studies of excessive sleepiness in adolescents due to narcolepsy or sleep apnea have also reported negative effects on learning, school performance, and behavior (Dahl, Holttum, and Trubnick, 1994). The reasons are definitely related to the habits of sleep. Wolfson and Carskadon (1998) give their accounts that those who are reported having poor academic performance are more likely to less sleep, go to bed later, and have more irregular habits. The learners who categorize lack of sleep if they have badly sleep habits. For instance, they often oversleep and have unorganized sleep schedules. Wolfson and Carskadon (1998) explain students with shorter sleep times, large weekend delays or high weekend overslept were defined as having adopted less than adequate sleep habits.

People may say that there is no relationship between adequate sleep and the students’ performance. This statement is absolutely nonsense. Indeed, both sufficient sleep and learners’ performance have a strong connection. Epstein, Chillag, and Lavie (1995) surveyed Israeli elementary, junior high, and senior high  school students reported that less total sleep time was associated with daytime fatigue, inability to concentrate in school, and a tendency to doze off in class. Those happen because many people do not care about their physical strength. In this case, they ignore how much they sleep. The National Institutes of Health suggests that school-age children need at least 10 hours of sleep daily, teens need 9-10 hours, and adults need 7-8 hours. Duration of the sleep should not less or more. It should be adequate. Research by the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School suggests that sleep plays an important role in memory, both before and after learning a new task (2007). Additionally, the students who are lack of sleep will get trouble in learning process. Wolfson and Carskadon (1998) explain sleepy adolescents that is, those with inadequate sleep may also encounter more academic difficulties.

In conclusion, students should rest sufficiently to recover the strength of their bodies. It will make them learn better. Gradually, their performance in the class will improve because they do not feel sleepy anymore when the teaching and learning process is in progress. And then, they can focus on the lessons given by the instructors in the class. Therefore, it is much better to have sufficient time of sleep so that the teaching and learning process can be optimal.

References

• www.simplypsychology.org
• www.faculty.bucks.edu
• www.healthysleep.med.harvard.edu
• Wolfson,Amy R; Carskadon, Mary A. 1998. Sleep Schedules and Daytime Functioning in Adolescents.

Raadhiyah Mardiyyah

Argumentative/Academic

Death Penalty for Corrupt Officials

           Nowadays, Indonesia is not free from corruption. Some of government officials are involved in cases of corruption, for example, ex-Governor of Banten, Ratu Atut Chosiyah or ex-Mayor of Bandung, Dada Rosada. The Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission conducts anti-corruption activities in all parts of the government. The commission investigates those who are involved in corruption cases. The purpose is to make the government officials free from cases of corruption. Almost all the officials who are evidently guilty are given jail punishment for a couple of years only. On the other hand, the government of China has applied death penalty for serious cases of corruption to make the government minus corruption. Death penalty still becomes a controversy among people in Indonesia. Nonetheless, those who corrupt in Indonesia should be penalized death.

Death penalty is an equal punishment for those who corrupt. They deserve to get death penalty because of their big mistakes. Corrupt actions will cause bad effects for the government and the citizens. Here, the citizens will be poorer and the country will not develop. People who corrupt steal citizens’ money. As a result, the economic prosperity will be chaos because the money is stolen by such people. The citizens will lack help from the government. For instance, the government cannot build public facilities and give subsidy for deprived people. Besides, people who corrupt also crush the government’s money calculation. It happens because the government already plans many programs. The corrupt activities certainly bring many disadvantages. Therefore, people who corrupt must pay for their mistakes and death penalty is the solution. 

 Death penalty is a lesson for all members of a country. It will be a good example for other government officials and citizens to learn from mistakes. It is also important that people know the effects of corruption. Once they know the effects of corruption, they will surely avoid other kinds of corrupt activities such as cheating, lying, and be disloyal to the residents. People will realize that corruption is a big fault. Therefore, people will not do the same thing. It makes the government officials have good and honest attitudes.      

Some people may say that death penalty is an antiquated punishment. This statement may be true but the purpose of the punishment is still useful until now. There are 13 countries that still apply death penalty, including Indonesia, America, Uni Emirate Arab, Bangladesh, Iran, and Japan. As the people who corrupt, they will be perilous for many people and give more disadvantages to the surrounding people. It will be very unsafe for other people in the country. Their actions are prejudicial for the citizens. It is because they take the citizens’ money and use it for personal purposes. 

People may believe that death penalty is not the right sentence. The statement is truly false. The officials or representatives should actually serve citizens. They are elected by the people, but they betray the people. They make the people’s lives suffer more because they lie and do what they want. Most of the corruptors actually are rich because of their greediness they still steal people’s money. It is equal that people who suffer many people must punish by death.

In brief, people who commit corruption should be sentenced demise. The reasons are they are reasonable to punish death because they do bad activities, they make our economic prosperity worse, and make the people suffer. Besides, death penalty is an appropriate sentence for them. It is also recommended that the Indonesian government should apply death penalty for those who commit corruption since they will make our country much worse. 

Raadhiyah Mardiyyah

Argumentative/Public