Topic : EDUCATION IN INDONESIA

Tittle : What causes education in Indonesia difficult to develop?

http://www.prestasi-iief.org/index.php/english/feature/68-reflections-on-education-in-indonesia

REFLECTIONS ON
EDUCATION IN INDONESIA
Education is one of the key vehicles for the intellectual and professional development of our people
and plays an increasingly important role in supporting a stronger and more globally competitive
Indonesia. However, education in Indonesia still has several problems related to quality and access
as well as the even distribution of well-trained teachers.

Limited access to education in rural areas has contributed to increased urbanization as families
relocate to cities in order to acquire better education. According to the Indonesian education activist
Anies Baswedan, "the problem is that the number of education facilities in [the] Greater Jakarta area
(Jabodetabek) is proportional, but we have a problem in the rural areas and it is causing
urbanization to Jakarta." Baswedan calls for expanded educational access through the provision of
increased educational services for communities as a whole. "If the schools are only located in
district's capital, then many people might not be able to achieve proper education," he said.

Furthermore, the number of qualified teachers is still not evenly distributed in rural areas. According
to the Director General of Primary Education at the Ministry of Education and Culture, Muhammad
Hamid, many elementary schools (SD) in Indonesia face a serious shortage of teachers. The
amount is estimated to reach 112,000 teachers.

To overcome the uneven teacher distribution, the Ministry of Education and Culture will work closely
with local governments, both provincial and district / city, to improve teacher allocation in these
areas. If the teacher allocation can be optimally managed, areas that have a surplus of teachers
can be transferred to nearby districts, said Hamid.
In order to increase the number of qualified teachers in schools in Indonesia, the Ministry will offer
bachelor degree scholarships for elementary (SD) and secondary school (SMP) teachers. Hamid
estimates that only 60% of the 1.85 million elementary school teachers in Indonesia have bachelor
degrees. Each year, the ministry also provide 100,000 bachelor degree scholarships for aspiring
elementary and secondary school teachers.

Of 120 countries included in the 2012 UNESCO Education For All Global Monitoring Report, which
measures education quality, Indonesia is ranked 64th. UNESCOs 2011 Education Development
Index (EDI) ranked Indonesia 69th out of 127 countries.

Additionally, the number of children that have dropped out of school in Indonesia is still high. "Based
on the Ministry's data in 2010, there are more than 1.8 million children each year cannot continue
their education. This is caused by three factors, namely economic factors, children who are forced to
work to support the family, and marriage at an early age," according to the Directorate General of
Higher Education Secretary Dr. Ir. Patdono Suwignjo, M. Eng, Sc in Jakarta.

According to the latest Human Development Index, reported by the UNDP, Indonesia ranked 121st
out of 185 countries, with an HDI of .629. The report shows that Indonesia is ranked lower than two
of its neighboring ASEAN countries, Malaysia (64th) and Singapore (18th). The average score for
the region was 0.683.

Many educational scholars, activists, and ministry officials have all recognized the need to address
Indonesias educational problems. "We have to solve the education problems, because knowledge
ownership is key to achieving one's well-being," according to Anies Baswedan. In addition to
providing scholarships for teachers, the Government of Indonesia has implemented various policies
to improve the education quality in order to face the global competition which marked by the
realization of the ASEAN Community in 2015 .

In order to strengthen basic education for students, the Ministry has committed operational and
budgetary resources to the implementation of the latest 2013 Curriculum by 2014. "[Were] ready for
next year and almost all schools can implement the 2013 Curriculum," said Deputy Minister of
Education and Culture, Musliar Kasim.

The 2013 Curriculum focuses on the acquisition of contextual knowledge in respective areas and
environments. The curriculum seeks to develop students' evaluation skills in three areas: attitude
(honesty, politeness, and discipline), technical skills (through practical work/school projects), and
scientific knowledge. At the elementary level, the curriculum emphasizes the formation of attitudes
and functional skills over scientific knowledge, which receives more attention at higher educational
levels. At the junior and senior high school levels, the academic rigor is increased since the students
personalities were emphasized at the primary level. According to Musliar, the new curriculum will be
applied to elementary students' grade 1, 2, 4 and 5, junior high school students grade 8 and 9, as
well as high school students grade 10 and 11.

The government will not print textbooks. As with the implementation of the previous year, the
Ministry's textbooks will be uploaded to the internet.
The ministry will also set the maximum price for textbooks, which will be sold to the public. The 2013
Curriculum has been implemented since mid-2013 at a number of designated schools -- despite
being criticized for its implementation seemed to be forced.

As an international aid agency supporting socio-economic development in Indonesia, USAID

Indonesia has prioritized educational development through a number of initiatives including the
USAID PRESTASI program.

This year, USAID-PRESTASI selected 30 Indonesia professionals to receive scholarships for

masters degree programs at universities in the U.S. and Indonesia. The program is open to the
public and is expected to support the development of human capital in candidates who are skilled in
their field. These future leaders will ultimately make a positive contribution in their respective work
environment once they returned to the In
http://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2016/08/23/why-full-day-school-will-not-work-in-
indonesia.html

Why full-day school will not work in Indonesia?

For decades, politicians have been debating over different ideas for education reform for
Indonesian education. Muhajir Effendy, recently appointed Education and Culture
Minister, for instance, promotes his controversial plan to extend school hours for
elementary and junior high school students in order to have better-educated students and
less stressful parents.

In the time when Indonesias educational ranking in the world is still low, Effendys plan
on full-day schools seems very logic. Additional school hours could means more
educational outcomes. If school time are extended into 4 or 5 p.m., students can learn
more.

The minister said that in the traditional hours students could learn on academic subjects
such as math, science, and other learning subjects. Then, in the additional hours, students
could do extracurricular activities, such as sports and religious activities to engage them
in positive learning environments.

He goes on to states that parents could benefits from full-day schooling too. Knowing
that students in a safe and positive environments would bring peace of minds for parents
especially for them who are working full-time.

However, the full-day school will be another educational problem as it will fit in
traditional schooling system in Indonesia.

Before regulating any policy in Indonesian education, policy makers should consider of
what is called by grammar of schooling, a term referring to regular structures and rules
that organize how schools work. The term of grammar of schooling was introduced by
David Tyack and William Tobin from Stanford University to explain the rules and
structures of schools that hindered any educational innovations and policies.

As we might know that school in Indonesia is rigid organization with clear objectives,
standardized curriculum, and classes are divided and evaluated using traditional
methodologies.

If we look at the daily activities of students in the classroom, we will see exactly the
problem of Indonesian schools. Most of students and teachers are working to prepare for
examination. Therefore, teachers tend to explain lessons abstractly, then they ask students
to work on students worksheets to drill material discussed previously.

While there has been numerous policies such as the newest 2013 curriculum that is
believed to promote active learning and character building, if the structure and objective
of schooling remains the same, any educational innovation will settle on the structure of
traditional schooling practices.

Therefore, the idea of full-day school might fit in the traditional schooling practices in
Indonesia which can add the burden for teachers and students. While the additional hours
are expected for enjoying learning activities, they can turn to be additional times to do
homework. This is similar to what happens when students approach the national exam,
students learn test preparation until afternoon.

Full-day schools will also add burden for teachers in that they should stay at schools,
setting up lesson plan and preparing activities for additional hours. This could be unfair
for them as they also need to get along with their families. Moreover, some of teachers
still get treated unfair, receiving low salary.

I do believe that educational reform is a complex endeavor. Our country has identified
the problems of education countless times, such as the problems of standardized testings
that cause rigid schooling systems and create schools like a factory rather than nurturing
creativity and respects from students.

Rather than regulating controversial full-day school that receive many disagreements
from parents, now it is a time for education policy makers to ponder about the grammar
or rules existing in Indonesian school systems. The rigid rules such as excessive
homework and examinations need to be reconsidered as they kill students developments.

As supposed to teaching students to work collaboratively, the school environment create

individual competitions. In this fast changing world, students need to have a collaboration
and creativity. These real-life skills are lacking from our schools.

To change the grammar of schooling in our country, we need to think about the objective
of schools to assist students develop their skills, knowledge, and character. So far, our
schooling system has tended to put too many attentions to knowledge. Therefore,
activities in schools should unite those three things in daily activities by having problem-
problem based or project based learning to prepare for students to the real world learning.
In addition, schools should create rules and structures that can nurture students positive
behavior and characters such as respects and cares.

***

Agus Mutohar is a PhD candidate at Faculty of Education, Monash University. His

research focuses on educational policy enactments in Indonesia and the sociology of
technology uses and non uses in educational settings. He receives a scholarship from
Indonesian Endowment Fund (LPDP) and International Fellowship Program (IFP) Ford
Foundation for his masters degree in the University of Texas at Austin.
http://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesian-education-system-fails-students/

Shanghai. Indonesian students need to revolutionize their learning approach to

compete as multinational companies battle it out to lure the top talent from emerging
markets, experts contend.

In 2008, the German chemicals giant Henkel created an international business game
called the Henkel Innovation Challenge. The task for participants in this years
competition was to develop a concept for an innovative and sustainability-related
product according to the vision and market needs in 2050.

Eighteen student teams, each consisting of two students, from all over the world were
summoned to develop innovative ideas for one of the companys business areas: home
care products, beauty care products and adhesive technologies.

This year marks the second time that teams from Indonesia are participating in the
competition. Last year, a team from the University of Indonesia won third prize during
the HIC 5 Southeast Asia National Finals. The students, Rena Carissa and Wiwin
Wijaya, came up with an idea for a dry-cleaning shampoo, suitable for all hair types, that
would dry upon usage, without the need to rinse with water.

This year, however, no Indonesian teams managed to replicate the success.

In selecting the teams for the Southeast Asia Finals, we use strict evaluation criteria
which include uniqueness of the idea, customer orientation and clarity and logic of the
idea concept, Allan Yong, the president of Henkel Indonesia, told the Jakarta Globe in
a written statement.

[The Indonesian] team submitted a very good concept, but we later found that the idea
was not original. After much deliberation, we decided not to send a team from
Indonesia.

Utomo Dananjaya, an education expert at Paramadina University in Jakarta, said the

problem lay with the countrys education system for failing to properly nurture its
students creativity.

Our education system heavily relies on memorizing texts. It doesnt let the students
ideas flow, and it dampens their creativity, he said.

Memorization as a learning method is outdated and should be replaced with an

approach that fosters the students creativity, he argued.

The Indonesian education system, Utomo went on, relies on one-way teaching with no
interaction. It cultivates the students to be obedient, to regurgitate what the teachers say
and does not allow them to think outside the box, he said.
How can a student breed an original idea if, in order to excel in university, what they do
in class is to memorize? he said.

To prepare talented Indonesian youths to compete in the global market, what the nation
needs is an education reform that strongly emphasizes reasoning and allows the
students to think critically, and not simply to memorize.

Then they are ready for work in a global environment, Utomo said.

Sumarjono Suwito, the chairman of the Indonesian International Education Consultants

Association, said corruption was also hampering developments in the national
education sector.

The government has allocated Rp 286.85 trillion ($30.4 billion) for education this year,
or 20 percent of the state budget, but no major changes have been made.

The problem with education in Indonesia is that we dont know where this money is
going, Sumarjono said.

He also stressed that the level of innovation in Indonesia was still low. He said it was
regrettable that the government had overlooked the importance of the research and
development sector.

Look at how many of our bright minds have migrated overseas because theyre not
supported in their own country, Sumarjono said.

He added that to succeed economically, Indonesia should place greater emphasis on

research and development.

The right mentoring

Students looking at exhibits created by students

from schools across Indonesia to compete in the Indonesian Science Project Olympiad at Balai
Kartini, Jakarta, in this file photo. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)
In China, meanwhile, Niels Henning Adler and Susann Tiffany Leuchtmann admitted to
feeling a sense of both excitement and nervousness on a winter day in Shanghai last
week.

Having prepared for this day since September last year, the pair, both business
students from Germany, set their eyes on the prospect of winning the Henkel Innovation
Challenge.

During the final presentation, Adler and Leuchtmann addressed Chinas severe pollution
problem that, based on their forecast, would only worsen by 2050.

In 2050, oxygen will become scarce. Our vision, thus, is to produce more oxygen
And make Chinese [people] enjoy being outside, Adler told the jury made up of
Henkels top managers.

They named their product, Syoss Breathe, a line of hair care products that would allow
human hair to produce oxygen when exposed to sunlight, along the same principle of
photosynthesis used by plants. The extra fresh air, they argued, would improve the
quality of life, particularly in urban living environments.

Later that night, at a fashionable gala dinner and awards ceremony, the duos idea saw
off the concepts submitted by their international rivals to secure the first place in the
competition.

We are absolutely thrilled to win, Adler said after the awards. But whats more
valuable to us than first prize is the international network of Henkel managers and fellow
students that we have built up here in Shanghai over the last three days.

The international finals ran from March 18-20 in Shanghai, home of last years
competition winner. The winner received an around-the-world flight ticket and travel
vouchers worth 10,000 euros ($12,870). The first and second runners-up, from Russia
and Belgium respectively, also received travel vouchers.

The three winning teams will also get an opportunity to personally meet Kasper Rorsted,
the Henkel chief executive.

Adler acknowledged to the Globe that the idea of hair care products that could help hair
photosynthesize and generate oxygen sounded ridiculous.

It is unthinkable right now. But in the year 2050, it is possible, he said.

The shampoo includes chlorophyll and the mineral tourmaline as active agents. These
enable your hair to photosynthesize, and thus become your own source of oxygen
supply, while also providing improved hair care performance.
Jens Plinke, Henkels global head for employer branding, told the Globe that the
competition offered students from around the world an opportunity to translate
theoretical knowledge into practice and to gain business experience by working in close
contact with Henkels managers.

In the competition, the teams will be assisted by experienced Henkel managers who
act as mentors. These students experience real business situations under deadline and
motivating pressure, he said.

Walter Brattinga, Henkels general manager for adhesive technologies, said he was
impressed by the students ideas.

They have such amazing ideas. But our role is to steer them in the right direction, he
said.

Brattinga, who mentored the Belgian team, said he was proud of the students.

They presented a revolutionary idea. It was a bit rough ... but with guidance they
improved a lot, he said.

Leuchtmann said she was enthralled by how humble the managers were.

They are managers of a big multinational company, but they treated us like we are one
of them and they are one of us. We benefited a lot from this mentorship program and
gained insights into the companys way of doing business, she said.

Battleground for talent For Henkel, the event offered company executives the chance
to get to know outstanding international students in person and also to profile Henkel as
a potential future employer.

Henkel, whose product portfolio includes well-known household brands such as Persil
detergent and Schwarzkopf hair care products, has a workforce of around 47,000
people from more than 120 nations in over 75 countries worldwide.

The company is also one of countless multinational corporations taking advantage of

the globalization of the world economy to gain access to a wider pool of talented
workers.

In responding to changes in the global workforce, Henkels competition is an important

strategy to encourage promising and talented individuals from around the world to
consider a career with the company. Since the competition began in 2008, Henkel got to
know more than 20,000 students, and recruited several of the past participants once
they graduated.

With the battle for global talent becoming more intense, Henkel says it places high value
and massive presence among university students.
HIC enables us to establish valuable personal touch with talented, young students
early, said Ellen Imasa, the companys head of talent management for the Asia Pacific.

The company forms partnerships with universities through student unions,

predominantly in emerging markets.

We mostly target first- and second-year students. By the time they graduate, they have
Henkel in mind, Imasa said.

Hayden Lee, a participant from Singapore, said that prior to entering the tournament, he
did not know about Henkel.

I was unaware of Henkel before. I only found out about the company and the
competition from a career talk in my university, he said, referring to the National
University of Singapore.

Henkel Indonesias Yong said, For [the competition], we target students from the three
top universities: University of Indonesia in Jakarta, University of Gadjah Mada in
Yogyakarta, and the Bandung Institute of Technology. Most of our employees
graduated from those universities. Every year, these universities conduct career fairs
which other universities in Indonesia also participate [in].

These career fairs give us the opportunity to identify the best graduates and ask them
to join our management trainee program. For example, in 2012, around 700 students
from those universities applied to join our program in Indonesia.
https://www.expatindo.org/schools-education-indonesia/
Schools and Education in Indonesia

One of the most important consideration on whether to make that leap of moving to Indonesia, is the
schooling options of our children. Parents moving children from abroad are naturally apprehensive in
sending their kids to a completely different environment. Additionally, there are many available
options for schools in Indonesia, beyond the simple private/public separation that most people may
be accustomed to. This article is an overview of the options for primary education in Indonesia, with
listed pros and cons.

International Schools
Although since 2015 the Ministry of Education no longer allows the word International in a schools
name due to concerns of misuse of the term, these schools are still colloquially referred to as
International schools.

They typically use IB or Cambridge curriculum, with allowance for some Indonesian topics, such as
Bahasa Indonesia, and local cultural content. They follow a typical 5-day school week, usually from
about 8 am to 3 pm.

The language of instruction is usually English, the pupils hail from many parts of the world, including
Indonesia. The teaching staff is usually mostly expat, although Indonesian teachers are also
employed.

Fees are high, ranging from USD 2,500-25,000 per year, depending on school and grade age. This
is on top of initial enrollment fees which could also be in the USD 2,500 to 5,000 range, and
recurring fees usually labelled as administration fee, facility fee, IT fee of similar.

Facilities are typically excellent, including computing facilities, libraries, musical instruments, sporting
facilities etc., allowing students a wide range of curricular activities.

Pros: International curriculum, English as instructional language, multi-cultural student body, world
class facilities.
Cons: Expensive.

National Plus Schools

These schools follow the Indonesian national curriculum, and then they add international curriculum,
or additional instructions in English, or additional extracurricular activities. If this seems a bit
confusing, you are not mistaken.

Although there exist an accreditation body, Association of National and Private Schools (ANPS),
there is no government enforced standards. Thus, quality vary widely, from a school similar in quality
to the best International schools, to a school that maybe has one expat teacher teaching all English
classes and calling themselves National Plus.
Still the better National Plus schools are very good, and are often a bargain compared to a full
fledged International School.

National Plus schools are also often affiliated with a religious denomination. Pupils are mostly
Indonesian, but also with a lot of expat and mixed-marriage kids as well, thus the student body quite
multi-cultural.

Pros: Possible to get good education at a lower price than International school, multi-cultural student
body, good facilities.
Cons: Careful research is required to determine the quality of schools you are considering.

National Schools
These are schools that follow the Indonesian curriculum. They are split into:

Sekolah Dasar (SD Grades 1-6)

Sekolah Menengah Pertama (SMP Grades 7-9)
Sekolah Menengah Atas (SMA Grades 10-12)

There are public and private schools. Public schools are often simply numbered by city (such as
SMA Negeri 1 Denpasar), while private schools have proper names.

Indonesian schools usually follow a 6 day school week, with Friday being a half day, and the rest of
the time school run from about 7am to 1pm.

The Indonesian curriculum requires religious education in one of the 6 sanctioned state religions,
although in rural areas where there arent many adherents outside the main religion, it is possible
that only 1 religion is taught.

Private National schools are typically affiliated with a religious denomination, most prominently
Catholic schools. Prior to the rise of International and National Plus schools, the Indonesian elite
would send their kids to Catholic schools regardless of their own religion due to the quality of
education. However, outside the very highest rated National schools, quality of education is often
mediocre, and facilities sorely lacking. It is not uncommon for teachers to be absent and classes
dismissed early. Rules are often strict, and a lot of time is often spent on things such as flag rising
ceremonies.

While a viable option for expats wishing to immerse their children in the Indonesian experience, and
to mixed-marriage children, careful research is recommended before choosing a school. On the flip
side, tuition ranges from practically free to about $400/year.

Pros: Adequate education, for a very low price. Total Indonesian immersion.
Cons: Rigid national curriculum, facilities often lacking, careful research is strongly recommended
before choosing a school. School day that starts at 7am.

Islamic Schools
Recently gaining popularity, Islamic schools are now available in every major city. They are under
the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Religion (not Education), so it can be immediately inferred where
the priorities are. Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI), Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MT) and Madrasah Aliyah (MA),
are the level equivalent of SD, SMP and SMA, respectively. Similar to National schools in secular
education, these schools however add strong emphasis on Islamic Studies and Arabic. Students
attire follow Islamic religious requirements, as do all other curricular activities. Cautions that apply to
National Schools also apply to Islamic Schools, namely lack of facilities, rigid curriculum, and so on.

Pros: Adequate education, low price. Islamic content for those who desire it.
Cons: Rigid curriculum, facilities often lacking, careful research is strongly recommended before
choosing a school.

General tips for choosing a school

Visit the school. This goes without saying, but we are saying it anyway. The school should be happy to
have a parent visit the school, and should be prepared to have a representative answer questions and
give a tour of the school.
Location: Children (and ideally parents) should not have to travel more than 1 hour to school everyday.
You may have to make a compromise between school distance and quality.
Ask to see the curriculum or have it explained. Check for accreditation.
Check out the school grounds: are the facilities available as described? Does it look well maintained?
Are childrens work prominently displayed? Or is it just posters from the bookstore? Does it look like
only the best kids work is displayed?
Peek into classrooms: Are all classes supervised by a teacher? Or are there many kids milling about
doing nothing? How engaged are the teachers? The students?
Get reference from a parent. If you dont know anyone, ask on Expat Indo Forum.