Our founding fathers hit it on the nail when they declared that one of the goals for establishing the state of the republic of Indonesia was to "enlighten the life of the nation" (mencerdaskan kehidupan bangsa). This beautiful phrase, engraved in the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution, sets out the vision of an independent nation free from the shackles of poverty, ignorance, injustices and oppression.

The framers of the constitution decided early on in the history of the new republic that only through enlightenment, which can be achieved through mass education, could the nation advance and attain the ideals of a just and prosperous society.

This is not dissimilar to Plato's view that education was the key to creating and sustaining his republic, or Aristotle's assertion that "All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth."

Plato talks of his republic, Aristotle of his empires, and we of our nation. But the idea is the same: Republics, empires and nations rise and fall depending on how enlightened their people are.

Fast forward 60-plus years since Indonesia declared its independence and we find a nation that has miserably failed in fulfilling that grand vision of nationhood. "Enlightening the life of the nation" remains a mere rhetoric, ornamental words in the constitution.

Today, Indonesia is still mired by mass poverty. In absolute terms, the number of people living below the poverty line is probably much larger today. How a country that is so blessed with an abundance of natural resources could remain so poor is simply mindboggling. A better indicator of how far we are falling behind and how we have squandered precious decades can be grasped by just taking a look around us: Many countries in Asia that became independent much later have moved on and have become far more stable and prosperous than we are.

Thanks to decades of mismanagement and misrule, characterized by rampant corruption and violence, this nation has hardly advanced in the global human development index.

Mass poverty makes the people and the nation dependent on outside assistance, with all its consequences, including the loss of sovereignty. We have hardly moved on from the days when we were "a nation of coolies", except that now we are in a modern context. True freedom and independence, the things that our founding fathers sacrificed their lives for, have not been achieved. By and large, the 240 million lives of this nation remain unenlightened.

Anyone concerned enough with the fate of the nation and of where it is heading would quickly point to the failing of the education sector for Indonesia's current poor state of affairs. Almost all of our failings, in political, economic and social development can be traced to the poor quality of our leaders in just about every field, and the poor quality of our human resources, especially now in facing global competition.

The education sector is largely responsible for Indonesia's current condition.

It was with this thought that The Jakarta Post decided to dedicate 2008, the year we mark our 25th anniversary, to the education sector. In our search for the one factor that is most important for this nation to address, we agreed that it should be education.

We hope to contribute to the endeavor in our limited way as an English language newspaper based in Indonesia. Today, for example, the Post is organizing a seminar on education, entitled "Enlightening the Life of the Nation" by bringing in distinguished speakers from our neighboring countries to share their experiences with us, and also business people who will show the ways in which they too should contribute to the education world.

We need to move on beyond grumbling about the state of our education. In spite of the grim picture, we find many bright spots in our education world that have shone through because of the initiative, the creativity, the drive and the passion of individuals and institutions. Some of these will be speaking at the seminar and will share the best practices that made a difference to the education world.

Our contribution does not stop with the seminar. All through the year, we will be revisiting the theme of education, hoping to raise the awareness of the people, the government, the business world of the need for a common endeavor to address this issue.

At the very least, we should push education to the forefront of the national agenda for the coming years, even through election years, so that we as a nation get it right and fulfill the vision of our founding fathers of an enlightened life of the nation.