Indonesian Province to Teach Cooperatives in Schools to Counter Capitalism

Central Java is pioneering the integration of cooperative education into its school curriculum, a move lauded by Indonesia's Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs, Ferry Juliantono. The province will introduce materials on cooperatives from elementary to high school levels, including religious schools.

Juliantono expressed hope that this initiative will foster a greater understanding of cooperatives among the younger generation, steering them away from the perceived negative aspects of liberal capitalism, such as greed and individualism. He emphasized the importance of instilling values of mutual cooperation, togetherness, and family spirit, which he believes are foundational to Indonesia's national economy as envisioned by its founders.

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This is expected to be implemented and understood again by our younger generation, to bring back why not a liberal capitalist economy with all the values that accompany it, values that lately, greedy values, individualistic values, values of wanting to win alone and so on.

Central Java's governor highlighted that the national economy aligns with Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, particularly Article 33. The new curriculum aims to re-establish cooperative principles as the "pillar of the national economy," countering what Juliantono described as the "greedy, individualistic, and self-serving values" associated with liberal capitalism.

The educational materials will cover various aspects of cooperatives, including local examples like the "Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih." Juliantono sees cooperatives as a vital alternative for creating employment opportunities for millennials, Gen Z, and younger generations.

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So it is important to convey this because cooperatives can be an alternative for providing job opportunities for Millennials, Gen-Z, the younger generation, the Alfa generation who are still in school and so on.