Flaws seen in bill on education<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Educationists are demanding changes in the bill on the national
\neducation system currently being deliberated at the House of
\nRepresentatives because it does not embrace the people's need for
\nbetter education.<\/p>\n
At least 300 school headmasters, directors of private school
\nfoundations and activists attending a one-day seminar held by the
\nPrivate Schools Consultative Body (BMPS) here on Saturday
\nquestioned the substance of the bill.<\/p>\n
They said that the bill discriminated against women and the
\ndisabled, and failed to give attention to the non-formal
\neducation system and poor children, who could not enjoy a decent
\neducation.<\/p>\n
\"The bill deals only with the elite and is focused on the big
\ncities. It has ignored the principle that education is not about
\ngovernment subsidies, but peoples' rights,\" Missiyah of
\nAlternative Education for Women (Kapal Perempuan) remarked.<\/p>\n
Article 25 of the bill categorizes women's education as
\nout-of-school education, which is a supplement to formal
\neducation, while no clause in the bill regulates the government's
\nobligation to provide equal education opportunities for the
\ndisabled.<\/p>\n
A speaker at the seminar, BMPS director Toenggoel P. Siagian,
\nhighlighted the bill's contradictory articles, which allow the
\nschools to manage their own funds and to set curricula based on
\nthe students' ability.<\/p>\n
\"But on the other hand the bill also wipes out the spirit of
\nthe society-based education by maintaining the government's power
\nto supervise national education,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He referred to Article 8 of the bill, which states that the
\nsociety has the right to participate in the planning,
\nimplementation, supervision and evaluation of education programs.<\/p>\n
However, Article 10 of the bill gives the government and the
\nregional administrations the right to regulate, supervise and
\nevaluate the education programs.<\/p>\n
Another speaker, linguist Bambang Kaswanti Purwa, who was a
\nmember of the bill's drafting team, admitted the weaknesses of
\nthe bill and invited the people to make corrections.<\/p>\n
Siagian deplored the legislators' failure to socialize the
\ndraft among educators.<\/p>\n
The draft law was one of six House's initiative bills which
\nshould have been endorsed during the last sitting period between
\nJan. 7 and March 28.<\/p>\n
The House has also proposed bills on presidency, bank credit,
\nchild protection, medical profession and sports.<\/p>\n
The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) ad hoc committee I
\nfor constitutional amendment agreed recently to recommend that
\nthe central government and local governments allocate 10 percent
\nof the state and provincial budgets respectively for education.<\/p>\n
If the MPR approves the fourth constitutional amendments in
\nAugust, the new legislation on budget allocation for education
\nwill take effect in 2003.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/flaws-seen-in-bill-on-education-1447893297",
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