Juwono tries to lower drop outs<\/p>\n
By Emmy Fitri and Riyadi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A month ago he was the state minister of
\nenvironment in Soeharto's Cabinet. Today he is the minister of
\neducation and culture in President B.J. Habibie's reform Cabinet.<\/p>\n
A political lecturer at the University of Indonesia, Juwono
\nSudarsono, 56, has only 18 months to work on the education sector
\namid the economical and political downturn in the country.<\/p>\n
Once a new president and vice president is elected in December
\n1999, as promised by Habibie, he might not be a minister anymore.<\/p>\n
\"My time frame is only 18 months. So, I don't want to make
\npompous programs with highly worded visions as visions usually
\nend up to be illusions,\" Juwono told The Jakarta Post at his
\noffice last week.<\/p>\n
Father of two sons, Vishnu and Yudhistira, Juwono said his
\nmain priority was to reduce the level of student dropouts, from
\nelementary school to university.<\/p>\n
He projected that 30 percent to 40 percent of students from
\nall levels were likely to drop out of school because their
\nparents or foster parents could no longer afford school fees or
\nbecause they wanted their children to help them make ends met in
\ntime of this hardship.<\/p>\n
To reduce the number of dropouts, the Ministry of Education
\nand Culture, with financial support from the World Bank, the
\nAsian Development Bank and the United Nations Children's Fund,
\nwill launch rescue operations.<\/p>\n
Official launching of the rescue program is scheduled for
\ntomorrow.<\/p>\n
\"Rescue operations are so pressing now to prevent massive
\ndropouts, because once you drop out it's difficult to climb back
\ninto the system,\" said Juwono, husband of Priharum Astinah who
\nused to be one of his students at the University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The rescue program, supported by US$400 million financial aid
\nfrom the above mentioned international agencies, will try to save
\n1.2 million elementary school students (out of 29 million
\nstudents), 1.6 million secondary school students (out of 9.6
\nmillion), 250,000 high school students (out of six million) and
\nabout 175,000 university students (out of 2.5 million) through
\nvarious scholarship facilities.<\/p>\n
On top of that, the ministry will provide block grants to 40
\npercent of elementary, secondary and high schools and 20 percent
\nto universities.<\/p>\n
Scholarships and block grants will be transferred directly to
\nstudents and schools through state Bank Rayak Indonesia and Bank
\nNegara Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Juwono estimates there will be about 5 percent to 10 percent
\nerror in the implementation of the program because not all
\nschools have skilled personnel to manage the funds.<\/p>\n
Eight percent of the total budget for the rescue program has
\nbeen allocated for monitoring and evaluation.<\/p>\n
\"But I'm still so sad because I have to accept the reality
\nthat many more students cannot be saved (from becoming dropouts).
\nAnd this is the one thing which sparks various comments about
\ntuition fees, student donations and much more. But I accept that
\nas the risk of being a minister. Now is the time when ministers
\ncan be scolded for unsettled matters.\"<\/p>\n
Optimism<\/p>\n
For Juwono, however, the economic turmoil is a blessing in
\ndisguise. The situation is forcing people to live and work more
\nefficiently.<\/p>\n
\"I observe in some secondary high schools, students and school
\nofficials don't rush to buy new felt-tip markers but instead buy
\nink to refill the empty ones. And in some universities,
\nadministrators have started to economize on electricity and air
\nconditioner usage. Indonesians are champions in improvisation in
\ntimes of crisis.\"<\/p>\n
In times of crisis, there are challenges for private schools
\nand universities, especially in managing their budgets.<\/p>\n
\"I'm aware (of the problems) and understand if private
\nuniversities consequently hike their tuition fees for survival.\"<\/p>\n
Out of almost 1,400 private universities across the country,
\nonly 10 percent can be categorized as good, 30 percent as
\nmoderate and the rest as bad and very bad. The latter will
\npossibly be a casualty of the natural selection for survival.<\/p>\n
\"Bad institutions will surely close down when no more students
\nenroll, either they don't want to or they can't afford to. And by
\ncoincidence, they have to pass through this situation. It's
\nbetter for them to close down rather than pretend to be a school
\nbut only deceive people.<\/p>\n
\"But I think we all have to start to live orderly, efficiently
\nand prudently, including in the teaching and learning processes
\nso that we can maintain pockets of excellence even amid the worst
\ncrisis ever.\"<\/p>\n
Transparency<\/p>\n
For better management of education institutions in a time of
\ncrisis, a clear and transparent annual budget should be developed
\nin each school and university. The administrators should involve
\nstudents' parents to discuss financial matters before the school
\nyear begins.<\/p>\n
If necessary, they can form a foundation, with donations from
\nparents, to ease their financial burden.<\/p>\n
\"I think that would be all right as long as the foundation is
\nmanaged transparently. So, a institution of transparency is of
\nutmost importance here.\"<\/p>\n
Juwono, who was the University of Indonesia's School of
\nPolitical and Social Sciences' dean from 1988 to 1994, recalled
\nthat he managed to establish a foundation to collect funds for
\nthe faculty's operations.<\/p>\n
The foundation collected some Rp 30 million per annum from
\nparents of new students. From the bank interest alone, about Rp
\n1.5 million per quarter at the time, the faculty could do a lot,
\nsuch as finance several operational expenses and give additional
\nbenefits to teachers.<\/p>\n
\"It was totally voluntary. Some well-off parents donated Rp 5
\nmillion to Rp 10 million. Some donated air conditioners. But for
\nthose who could not help, they should not help. They must not be
\ntoo bashful to say so.<\/p>\n
\"I think that's a good system, the haves help the have-nots.
\nWhat's important is transparency in managing the funds. It must
\nbe accounted for annually.\"<\/p>\n
Transparency and routine accountability is crucial in a
\nschool's management, especially since goodwill to send children
\nto school can be misused by those who want to take benefit of it
\nbecause education institutions, especially private ones, are
\nsusceptible to commercialism.<\/p>\n
Years ahead<\/p>\n
Juwono, who obtained his master of arts degree from the
\nUniversity of California, Berkeley, in 1970, is convinced that
\neducation should be viewed in a broader perspective because
\neducational issues are intertwined with cultural issues.<\/p>\n
Parents of poor households will encourage their children to
\ncontribute toward the families' livelihood rather than go to
\nschool.<\/p>\n
\"It's not a matter of economic reality but of culture as well.
\nParents will ask their children aged over 14 to quit school and
\nhelp their families make a living.\"<\/p>\n
Juwono said his ministry had five basic principles:
\nimprovement of quality, equality in opportunity, relevance,
\nefficiency of educational management and national culture.<\/p>\n
Despite his far-sighted perspectives on preparing human
\nresources for global competition, Juwono, born in Ciamis in West
\nJava, said he believed that being well-educated was not enough.
\nOne also needs to identify with one's culture.<\/p>\n
Juwono said he also wanted to develop eight basic abilities --
\nto read, to write, to speak, to listen, to observe, to calculate,
\nto visualize and to sensitize -- to be applied at all education
\nlevels.<\/p>\n
However, the level of sophistication would be different from
\none level to the next.<\/p>\n
The eight basic abilities would encompass the existing aspects
\nof humanity, community and technology.<\/p>\n
And to make schools more realistic and enjoyable to students,
\nJuwono says he will cut down the number of subjects taught. At
\nthe same time, he plans to assign two lecturers to each class,
\none teaching the subject and the other observing and evaluating.<\/p>\n
The 1978-graduate of the London School of Economics says
\nIndonesia must prepare to face the challenges of the next
\nmillennium and be ready to compete with other Asian countries by
\npreparing the skills of its workforce.<\/p>\n
Juwono outlines the need for more vocational institutions to
\nbe established. The government plans to increase the number of
\npolytechnic schools from the current 16 to at least 120 by 2020.<\/p>\n
\"People have already taken aside the idea of competitiveness
\nbuilt on land and labor capital. They now believe more in human
\ncapital. That's what we're going to save.<\/p>\n
\"It's probably really how to save a generation from the
\nmonetary crisis, so they can be ready to compete in 2003, when
\ncountries in the region enter into a free trade area.\"<\/p>\n
School and politics<\/p>\n
No one is denying the fact that students played a major role
\nin forcing former president Soeharto to step down after 32 years
\nin power, opening the way for reforms in all sectors.<\/p>\n
However, unlike his predecessor who banned students from
\nparticipating in \"practical politics\" Juwono cautiously says:
\n\"What I want is that practical politics can be materialized as
\npolitical education.<\/p>\n
\"Universities can invite public figures for panel discussions
\nor as honorary lecturers. But I don't want campuses to become a
\nvenue of political campaigns. If we allow such campaigns in the
\nname of democracy, then all parties will enter campuses.
\nConsequently, the campuses will be unable to perform their main
\nduties.\"<\/p>\n
However, any panel discussion involving people outside campus
\nwould remain a public forum, and therefore would not be protected
\nby academic freedom, which according to Juwono applies only to a
\nstructured class, lecture or discussion.<\/p>\n
Distortion and confusion are easily recognizable among today's
\nstudents as they regard campuses as areas were anybody can freely
\ntalk and shout about anything they want.<\/p>\n
\"Now there is confusion among students, as if when you enter a
\ncampus you can talk about whatever you want. He who can speak
\nfreely and be protected by academic freedom is a professor in a
\nstructured class. Even a professor, if he talks in a public
\nforum, is just an ordinary citizen, and as such can face criminal
\ncharges if he starts defaming someone.<\/p>",
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