Deconstructing Human Capital Discourse in Early Childhood Education in Indonesia

Abstract

Indonesia is one of the countries in Asia that has recently experienced rapid economic growth (Hasan, Hyson, & Chang, 2013). However, with its 250 million people living in more than 15,000 islands in the archipelago, the country is also experiencing rapid inequality, as the chasm between middle and lower classes becomes wider (Yusuf, Sumber, & Rum, 2014). The inequalities are particularly obvious in the education sector, particularly in early childhood education (ECE). ECE is still exclusively for middle-class children; those from poor-family backgrounds are very often excluded from it (Hasan et al., 2013; Human Development East Asia and Pacific Region, the World Bank, 2012).