Comparison of Education Systems in Indonesia and Singapore

Based on Ideological Differences

By: Arta E. Y. Rajagukguk

Abstract
With the transition to the age of globalization, education has become a proactive way to
prepare the younger generation for the challenges of the times. You have to play your part. The
previous educational framework must also be adapted to the demands of the times. To meet this
challenge, many countries are beginning to implement education reforms. This article describes
education reform programs in two countries with different backgrounds, situations and
ideologies: Singapore and Indonesia. Education reform programs in Singapore include Teach
Less, Learn More. Thinking school, learning country, excellent school model. Meanwhile,
Indonesia's education reform policy has been implemented through the decentralization of
education under the administration of school units, credit-level curricula and his 2013
curriculum, and teacher certification programs. The results of the discussion show that Singapore
has successfully implemented education reform. This is evidenced by the quality of Singapore's
education, which ranks first in the ranking of countries with international educational standards.
Meanwhile, Indonesia still appears to be struggling to meet its educational reform goals. There is
no doubt that the differences in the results of implementing education in the two countries are
due to differences in the backgrounds, societies, economies, politics, cultures, and geographical
conditions of the two countries. From this, it can be concluded that many factors influence the
successful implementation of educational reforms in this country.

Keywords: Education, Reform, Ideology, Curriculum.

Education is a battlefield of many forces, political concerns and ideologies. Critical

pedagogy holds that education cannot be separated from power and political interests. Education
is important for a country because it is very important and essential for a person's life. With the
transition to the age of globalization, the world of education must play an active role in preparing
the younger generation for the challenges of the times. The previous educational framework must
also adapt to the demands of the times. Every country has certain systems and methods for
educating the younger generation. Therefore, the life of a country or government is not separated
from education. The same applies to Indonesia and Singapore. The formation of education and
the unification of national character are realized in accordance with the systems and ideas of
each country.
Singapore is a young country that just became independent on August 9, 1965. In its
development, Singapore has always been able to achieve outstanding quality in the field of
education. Over 40 years, Singapore has gone through several stages of development: Survival
(1959-1978), Efficiency (1979-1996), High Performance (1997-2011), Student-Centric and
Value-Oriented (2012). came. Known as one of the most highly developed economies in Asia,
Singapore has implemented education reform programs such as Teachless Learn More, School
Excellent Model, Thinking School and Learning Nation implementation. The concept of
"Thinking School" refers to education to equip students with independent and critical thinking
skills, while "Learning Nation" refers to the development of sustainable learning habits to meet
the challenges of social change. . The age of globalization. Education reform in Singapore is an
attempt to change the educational paradigm and is seen as an urgent need to equip citizens with
critical thinking skills in the face of globalization. at the system level of The Singapore Ministry
of Education is very flexible, giving up control and making it easier for teachers and schools to
carry out their duties. The main aim of this reform is to enhance the professional activities of
teachers by improving teaching, curriculum and teaching methods. As a result, the introduction
of a more flexible education system will produce high-quality human resources.
Indonesia, a country with an ideological system of Pancasila democracy, lags far behind
Singapore. Due to the different political, social, economic and geographical conditions,
Indonesia has developed another form of education: decentralization, which aims to reduce the
role of the central government in setting education policy and decentralize the administration of
education. is also employed. In the era of decentralized education, expanding access to and
delivery of education is highly dependent on the willingness of local policymakers to provide
comprehensive support. Further efforts to support and expand school-based management
innovation and community participation initiated by the central government with foreign support
will depend on the willingness of local governments and the availability of budgets to support
these programs. To do. On the other hand, the implementation of school-based management at
the school level relies heavily on the leadership of principals. There are currently 4,444 gaps in
the implementation of school-based management in various regions and schools. For this reason,
the national and local governments need to make long-term efforts to enable the 4,444 schools to
operate effectively.
In addition to the implementation of school-based management, educational reforms are
manifested within the framework of educational decentralization in curriculum format at the
educational unit level. Curriculum implementation at the unit level gives schools and school
boards the freedom to develop the school curriculum, analyze the school's internal and external
environment, and determine the vision, mission, and educational goals the school has initiated.
You can get However, the school's role from curriculum implementation to curriculum
development is actually disrupting the school community. This is happening because the role and
mindset of being a curriculum implementer is very well established. The habit of following only
orders from above cannot replace the role of initiative.
It can therefore be concluded that the implementation of democratic-liberal ideologies is
different from the implementation of institutions based on democratic-pancasila ideologies.
Singapore invests in its future by preparing young people for the challenges of globalization and
developing talent through an education system aimed at playing an active role in the challenges
of the global economy. On the other hand, as a large country with cultural, ethnic, linguistic and
religious diversity, Indonesia has many programs to improve the quality of education in the
country, such as the Education Decentralization Program in School Unit Management,
Educational Unit Level Curriculum (KTSP). There are many programs. Curriculum 2013. With
existing goals and outcomes, the implementation of the education system in Singapore has been
far more successful in many respects. Is it possible to introduce such an education system in
Indonesia? But regardless of the systems and policies that exist in both countries, we will again
pay attention to the spiritual preparation of our people.Applying a libertarian education system is
like a double-edged sword.
could make Indonesia's younger generations think more critically or, conversely, make them
more careless of existing freedoms, leading to their destruction.