When Schools Become Prisons: Exploring the Educational Dilemmas in Modern Society

Abstract

The following study article reviews the challenges faced in the modern public education system in Indonesia. Schools, as formal educational institutions, are a concrete indication of educational failure in this country. In essence, the goal of school is to guide students to become intelligent individuals and have the ability to differentiate between right and wrong. However, ironically, education often makes individuals less educated and feel trapped in situations that make them less developed.In terms of methods, this research uses a qualitative approach by conducting interviews and collecting documents to collect data and information. The collected data is analyzed and interpreted to produce conclusions. Based on information from accurate sources, this research confirms the dilemma hypothesis in education in modern society by illustrating five main cases in the world of education. These cases include inhumane curricula, the high number of suicides and violence against students, the exploitation of elite schools as businesses, disharmonious relations between teachers, students and the student council, and the lack of benefits from extracurricular activities. Therefore, it is time for us to implement an education system that reflects the reality of multicultural culture in Indonesia and the essence of education itself.