Education ministry introduces major changes<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of National Education announced on
\nWednesday its planned sweeping reforms that will include changes
\nto school examinations and the bureaucracy of the institution.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a year-end media conference at his office,
\nMinister of National Education Yahya Muhaimin said that students
\nof elementary and secondary schools would have their essay topics
\nincreased to at least 50 percent in their final examinations.<\/p>\n
Up to now, students have taken their examinations mostly in
\nthe form of multiple choices. The format has been blamed for the
\nstudents' lack of analytical capability.<\/p>\n
All the changes will take effect next year, except for
\nmodifications in the subject of history which will only become
\noperational in the next curriculum year beginning in July.<\/p>\n
Yahya said present history books would be replaced with
\nsupplements that would exclude any interpretation or conclusion
\nby the government, and would provide only historical facts.<\/p>\n
Director general of primary and secondary education Indra
\nDjati Sidhi, who also attended the conference, added that the
\nsupplements would incorporate the fall of the New Order regime,
\nwhich was marked by the resignation of then president Soeharto in
\nMay last year.<\/p>\n
On the curriculum, the ministry will introduce a national
\nstandardization which will provide broad guidelines to allow each
\nschool to develop its own curriculum.<\/p>\n
The national standards will require students to meet certain
\nbasic competence levels according to their abilities.<\/p>\n
"For example, first grade students of elementary schools
\nshould know about numbers, without restricting the school from
\nsetting a higher target," Indra said.<\/p>\n
Yahya said the national standardization would avoid radical
\nchanges to the national curriculum in the future.<\/p>\n
On regional autonomy, Yahya said his ministry would continue
\nthe past government's policy of empowering both state and private
\nuniversities in each of the country's provinces.<\/p>\n
The pilot project of the autonomy policy is now underway at
\nYogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University, the University of Indonesia
\nin Jakarta, the Bandung Institute of Technology and the Bogor
\nInstitute of Agriculture.<\/p>\n
Director general of higher level education Satryo Soemantri
\nBrodjonegoro said the ministry would also speed up the
\naccreditation of universities across the country.<\/p>\n
On administrative matters, Yahya said 261 personnel in his
\nministry, including eight directors dealing with the arts, would
\nbe moved to other government institutions.<\/p>\n
The ministry has asked for a 35 percent increase in the state
\nbudget to allow for a rise in the salaries of teachers. (04)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/education-ministry-introduces-major-changes-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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