Social stratification can't be eliminated, but poverty can.

Byline: Indraswari, Bandung

I was in a class having a discussion with my students on Indonesia's progress toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). We specifically discussed goal number one; "Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger", when in the middle of the discussion a student raised the question of whether or not we can end poverty.

He doubted that poverty could be eliminated and - to support his argument - cited various government poverty-alleviation programs which were designed to help poor people, but had so far not yet been able to lift them out of poverty.

For me his question is more than just a question, it is a reflection.

The Report on the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals Indonesia 2010 indicates that there has been a decrease in the prevalence of …