RI gets poor mark in education quality<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A number of Indonesian students have stolen the limelight in
\ninternational scientific contests, but in general the country's
\nstandard of public education has failed to match that of its
\nneighbors in the Asia-Pacific region.<\/p>\n
The latest report released by the Asian South Pacific Bureau
\nof Adult Education and the Global Campaign for Education ranked
\nIndonesia 10th among the 14 assessed countries in Asia and the
\nPacific, with an average score of 42 out of a possible 100, or an
\nE on its commitment to basic education.<\/p>\n
Leading the list were Thailand and Malaysia, which both
\nreceived an A, followed by Sri Lanka with a B.<\/p>\n
The Philippines, China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia and
\nIndia were marked between C and F for performing poorly in
\nensuring access to free and equal, good quality basic education.<\/p>\n
Indonesia only performed better than Nepal, Papua New Guinea,
\nSolomon Islands and Pakistan.<\/p>\n
The report divided the countries into \"class leaders\" and
\n\"poor performers\", using indicators such as access to full basic
\neducation, state action for free education, quality input, gender
\nequality and overall equity.<\/p>\n
Indonesia received the lowest mark for state action concerning
\nits commitment to eliminating fees for basic education. This
\nindicator measures the prevalence of school fees, textbooks,
\nuniforms and other related expenses, based on a World Bank 2004
\nsurvey of 76 countries.<\/p>\n
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh top the list as they managed to scrap
\nmost of the fees imposed on students.<\/p>\n
A recent survey on poor families conducted by the
\nInternational Labor Organization (ILO) revealed that in
\nIndonesia, an elementary student would need Rp 374,225 (US$39)
\nannually to pay all the fees. A junior high school student would
\nneed almost three times that amount.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government has estimated the annual cost of
\neducating an elementary student at Rp 235,000 and Rp 324,500 for
\na junior high school student, which is built into the state
\nbudget for free compulsory education, to be disbursed in the
\ncoming academic year.<\/p>\n
When it comes to provision of full basic education, which was
\nindicated by drop-out, illiteracy and early childhood education
\nrates, Indonesia scored C.<\/p>\n
According to a 2003 national survey, 6.7 percent of 40 million
\nschool-age children (seven to 15 years old) dropped out of
\nschool, while 1.7 percent of the population had never attended
\nschool. Some 67.6 percent of drop-outs said they quit school
\nbecause their parents could not afford to pay their school fees.<\/p>\n
Indonesia received a good rating in access to basic education,
\nbut saw a low quality input as indicated by a low teacher-student
\nratio of 1:62 and an average of $21 per pupil the government
\nallocated annually.<\/p>\n
In comparison, Malaysia's teacher-student ratio stood at 1:20
\nwith an average of $390 allocated to fund a student's education
\nper year.<\/p>\n
Indonesia performed better in gender equality and overall
\nequity in education, with a score of 76 and 67 respectively.
\nEducation and gender activist Yanti Muchtar said, however, the
\nmarks did not reflect the true condition as they were based on
\nincomplete data.<\/p>\n
\"There have been more girls quitting school than boys, plus
\ntwo thirds of those who are illiterate are women,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Other activists said the grade given to Indonesia's basic
\neducation development assessment was \"too generous\", while
\ngovernment officials deemed it \"too gloomy\".<\/p>\n
\"Susilo must seriously tackle the issue of public education
\nwhich in fact is not free and is heading to privatization and
\ncommercialization. He must work hard to translate into practice
\nthe legal guarantee for free public education,\" Yanti said.(003)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-gets-poor-mark-in-education-quality-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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