b=' By Eva Fauzyah Rahmah “In a system meant to offer equal access, why do parents feel they’re competing for survival?” — Built to Equalize, Prone to Divide A few years ago, choosing a school for your child was relatively simple. Parents could make decisions based on academic reputation, distance, or family tradition. Today, however, especially in Indonesia’s urban centers, conversations about education are increasingly filled with anxiety: long waiting lists , unaffordable private schools, and a school zoning system that, for many, is more of an obstacle than a solution. In my own housing complex — mostly upper-middle-class families — parents have taken to registering their children at prestigious private schools as early as three years in advance. Why? Because public schools — despite being the default option — are no longer perceived as accessible, even for those living nearby. This phenomenon raises a deeper question: Is school zoning — designed to make education ...
By Eva Fauzyah Rahmah “A just transition begins with consent, not displacement.” Indonesia has positioned itself as a global leader in the green economy. From its net-zero pledge to the expansion of electric vehicle (EV) production and biomass co-firing programs, the country has embraced the language of sustainability. But beneath the surface, a troubling question remains: who bears the burden of this transition? Energy transitions are not just technological shifts— they are political, ecological, and deeply social. If done too hastily, without safeguards and inclusive planning, they risk reproducing extractive logics and environmental injustices under the banner of progress. A Green Economy Built on Extractive Foundations Nickel plays a central role in Indonesia’s transition strategy. The country is the world’s largest nickel producer, and the government has aggressively pursued downstream industrialization to become a hub for EV battery manufacturing. Yet this ambition comes ...