Distance learning is not a distant dream<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Distance education may be the answer to the
\ngovernment's quest to provide access to education for the masses
\nin a country as huge and scattered as Indonesia.<\/p>\n
However, using television and radio to teach students in
\nremote areas may be a distant dream without a stronger government
\ncommitment, a senior official of the Ministry of Education and
\nCulture said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Head of the ministry's Research and Development Agency Sri
\nHardjoko Wirjomartono said many people in the key decision-making
\nlevel were not fully informed about the concept and its
\nadvantages for a country like Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Some even doubted the distance education program's chance of
\nsuccess, Hardjoko said during a media briefing about next week's
\ninternational symposium on distance learning networks.<\/p>\n
Skepticism arose because the learning method hinges on
\nstudents' discipline and self-motivation, he said.<\/p>\n
Director of the Communication Technology Center, Arief S.
\nSadimanhe agreed discipline and self motivation were crucial for
\nthe method's success.<\/p>\n
\"They (students) have to manage their own time and they must
\nbe strongly disciplined,\" he said. \"If they can manage that it
\nwill definitely help them in the future.\"<\/p>\n
Hardjoko said the National Development Planning Board
\nsupported distance education and agreed to finance its
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
The Open University is already using distance education and
\nthe government has run programs allowing junior high schools to
\nreach pupils in remote areas.<\/p>\n
Officials said the nine-year compulsory education program
\nlaunched last year would also rely on distance education methods
\nbecause the government did not have enough resources to provide
\nteachers and new schools for all remote areas.<\/p>\n
Arief said that because of its heavy reliance on the existence
\nof communication facilities, the program required a bigger
\ninitial outlay but would then be cheaper to run than standard
\neducation methods.<\/p>\n
The symposium, to be held in Yogyakarta, will involve 262
\nparticipants from more than 22 countries, including Australia,
\nBangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, India, Japan, Jordan,
\nKorea, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway,
\nPakistan, New Guinea, Singapore, the Philippines, the United
\nStates, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. (31)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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