New curriculum dazes teachers<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Many elementary school teachers revealed that the implementation
\nof the new competence-based curriculum still had a long way to go
\nmainly due to the lack of preparation and supporting factors to
\ncarry out the program.<\/p>\n
"We have not yet received any information (from the
\ngovernment) about the curriculum and when it will be implemented
\nin our school," Yusnelly, the principal of state elementary
\nschool 05 Cilandak, South Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post on the
\nsidelines of a seminar on developing a smart and creative
\ngeneration, which was participated in by 1,500 elementary school
\nteachers here last Friday.<\/p>\n
She also said that teachers at her school had not received
\ntraining in the new curriculum.<\/p>\n
Yusnelly, who claims that she had only heard a little about
\nthe curriculum, said that the new curriculum would be difficult
\nto carry out due to the shortage of teachers and the huge numbers
\nof students they have to oversee.<\/p>\n
"At my school, there are only seven teachers to handle 260
\nstudents. It's impossible for us to keep our eye on them all
\nindividually," said Yusnelly.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Mansyur Usman of state elementary school 07
\nBalimester, Jatinegara, East Jakarta also admitted that apparent
\nconstraints which could hamper the implementation of the new
\ncurriculum were, among others, the students "shame culture."<\/p>\n
Mansyur revealed that he often found that the active learning
\nmethod did not work in the classroom as the students were too shy
\nto speak out.<\/p>\n
"I often try hard to stimulate the students to give more
\nactive responses but I am unsuccessful as they are too shy to
\nspeak out," Mansyur said.<\/p>\n
Mansyur said posing questions in class was still not popular
\namong the children. "Those posing questions are often considered
\nstupid."<\/p>\n
Besides, Mansyur said, the students' limited mastery of the
\nlanguage could also prevent them from daring to speak in the
\nclassroom.<\/p>\n
He also said that his school which has 220 students had yet to
\nimplement the new curriculum.<\/p>\n
The government is planning to adopt a competence-based
\ncurriculum in 2004, replacing the previous 1994 curriculum which
\nis considered too authoritarian and centralized.<\/p>\n
The new curriculum is designed to empower the schools,
\nespecially the teachers, to design their own education program so
\nthat it is in accordance with the competencies needed by students
\nin each subject based on local conditions.<\/p>\n
Therefore, unlike the previous curricula of 1975, 1984, and
\n1994, the new curriculum does not propose all the materials that
\nshould be taught; rather it sets standards of competence that
\nstudents should acquire at certain levels of education.<\/p>\n
The competence-based curriculum allows more leeway within
\nwhich schools and teachers can work. Schools and teachers,
\ntherefore, have a greater role and responsibility in designing
\nthe applied curriculum to ensure that students can achieve the
\nexpected competence.<\/p>\n
However, some teachers of private elementary schools revealed
\nthat they have introduced the new curriculum to the students.<\/p>\n
"We have started implementing the new curriculum since last
\nyear, but so far, it implementation is still fraught by many
\nconstraints," said Muhammad Amin of private elementary school
\nDian Didaktika in Cinere, South Jakarta. The school has about 500
\nstudents.<\/p>\n
He said that the lack of adequate supporting materials,
\nincluding books and displays were among the constraints that made
\nthe new curriculum hard to implement.<\/p>\n
Amin revealed that books and visual materials were needed to
\nmake the subjects simpler and easier for the students.<\/p>\n
"It is public knowledge that books here are very expensive so
\nthat a great deal of funds are needed to procure them," Amin
\nsaid.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/new-curriculum-dazes-teachers-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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