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Wednesday was Youth Pledge Day, which commemorates the burgeoning spirit of nationalism in a bunch of visionary youths in the days of yore, long before our republic was officially born. It is a day when we expect the country’s young of today to be filled with a similar ardor and to reflect on what wonderful nationalistic things they can do for the betterment and unity of this country.

It is in effect a day when we remind them to get off their backsides and start assuming the role of future leaders of this motherland of ours as wise, patriotic and responsible citizens. After all, if the young people from the old days could get together and come up with an incredible pledge of one nation, one people and one language, surely our bright, super-connected and sophisticated youngsters can achieve even more amazing feats in our efforts to create a better future for the whole country.

Kudos to those who try to revive the “Indonesia Unite” spirit and stir pride in and love for the country in our hearts, even though the zeal generally only lasts as long as Twitter’s trending topic. At least there is a real effort there for breathing new life into that concept called nation building, which our present leaders seem oblivious to.

We have a government, yes. We also have lots of noisy and narrow-minded politicians. But where is that drive for nation building, that original pledge of uniting in order to chase a common dream? Even as we demand much from our young people, time and time again we fail to give them the tools they need to build this country and the means for them to become strong, responsible and mature adults with integrity and critical-thinking skills. Which is to say, we don’t give them a good education.

I only need to look at the younger members of my own family and follow their painful struggles to get through their schooling to see how far the country’s education system is from serving them during their most critical years. For decades now this country’s education system and curricula have undergone countless (and often mindless) changes depending on which education minister was in power, leaving the teachers confused, the pupils stressed and the parents out of pocket for all the constantly changing textbooks and school paraphernalia.

Schools have become a place not of learning, but a crucible to pass exams. But even on that score the average state school can’t deliver. Instead, students’ regular day, at least in the capital, consists of getting up at the crack of dawn to make it to school before seven in the morning (because otherwise their presence on the road would supposedly worsen Jakarta’s traffic situation), finishing in the afternoon, after which they attend a “ les ” or “ bimbel ” (for “ bimbingan belajar ,” or after-school lessons), where parents pay an arm and a leg so their children can understand the stuff they should have learned at school but for some reason didn’t, or at least not enough to help them pass their national exams. (Rich parents often opt out of the state school system altogether for private schools, where their children get better-quality education and learn to speak English better than they do Indonesian.)

And what is it exactly that students learn at school? Peeking at my niece’s schoolwork, it’s basically everything. And nothing. In the sense that they study a lot of subjects but, because there are so many of them, none at significant depth. No wonder they need extra lessons. It must be hard to make sense of all these lessons unless they have somebody to guide them and point them to the right answers.

This, I think, is where the problem lies. Education is all about being able to give the right answers so you can pass your exams. That’s why cheating becomes such a big issue come national exam time. And it is not just the students who cheat, but also the teachers who leak answers so their schools will have a good passing rate.

The good thing is the government is beginning to catch on to the idea that education should be about nurturing inquisitiveness, creativity and critical thinking in the young, and not just rote learning and memorizing formulas. Young minds should be encouraged to ask questions, discuss among themselves and conduct their own research, thus making the learning environment a productive and enjoyable one.

The problem now is the teachers and their own lack of the required teaching skills. It seems they too are badly in need of a good education, more so than their students. Is it any wonder there haven’t been any significant advances in nation building? After all, what kind of nation can be built upon ignorance?

Desi Anwar is a senior anchor at Metro TV. She can be contacted at www.desianwar.com and www.dailyavocado.net.