Instead, they get the youngsters to help out at food stalls, wash cars or take odd jobs. In an era of globalization, no nation can hope to keep pace with the economic pacesetters if it is loaded down with the burden of millions of illiterate and unemployable young people. So Indonesians know they have to get their kids back to their school desks. Rano's TV messages urging parents to keep their children in school have been well received. But for families struggling to survive, television is one thing.
Daily reality is another.
Leaner, meaner times are exacerbating traditional forms of discrimination too. In those families that cannot afford to send all their children to school, it is the daughters who are held back. An educated son is seen as an investment. Girls, the thinking goes, can help with younger siblings, household chores or simply be sent out to work. In impoverished families, particularly in urban areas, some end up in prostitution or other kinds of hazardous occupations.