1,000 educators gather for national meeting

1,000 educators gather for national meeting

By Santi WE Soekanto

UJUNGPANDANG (JP): Some 1,000 educators will gather today for
the third national conference on education, with this year's
focus on ways to adjust Indonesia's programs to the demands of
globalization.

The first convention in 1988 in Bandung drafted an education
law, while the second in 1992 in Medan, North Sumatra, discussed
how to implement the law. The theme of the current convention is
educating Indonesians to meet the challenges of global free trade
in 2020.

A brief look at the programs, however, reveals more of an
interest in closing the existing local education gaps. Some will
speak on ways to help students cope with industrialization,
others will talk about how geographically remote places in the
archipelago prevent children from getting proper educations.

Noted computer experts and other scientists such as Dali S.
Naga, Iskandar Alisyahbana, Alwi Dahlan, Sri Hardjoko, Arief S.
Sadiman and Tina Mariani will discuss the use of the Internet and
multimedia computers in education. Several will address the
problem of poor children with learning opportunities.

In addition, participants will evaluate the progress of
Indonesia's education system during the past 50 years after
independence. "We wish to critically analyze our experience in
education development," one of the organizers, Anah Suhaenah
Suparno, told the press last week.

The event spans a wide range of topics because, she said,
"there's no way we can speak about education without bringing in
other issues as well".

Anah's colleague, Hafid Abass, said that despite the numerous
issues handled, the convention is expected to come up with some
practical recommendations. The head of the research and
development center at the Jakarta Teachers Training and Education
Institute (IKIP) expressed hope that the many topics will not
sidetrack participants from the goal of producing workable plans.

Anah, who is also rector of the Jakarta Teachers Training
College, added that the event is meant to draw the attention of
policy makers to the need of a greater budget for education.

Citing a World Bank study, she said that countries which have
recorded rapid economic progress are also those which have
invested heavily in education.

According to 1991 statistics, some 24.4 million Indonesian
children between the ages of 6 and 11 are enrolled, while the
drop-out rate before grade four is 12 percent. The number of
illiterates, 20.9 million in 1990 with 60 percent of these in the
over-45 age bracket, is reportedly on the decline.

Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro will
open the meeting on behalf of the Coordinating Minister for
People's Welfare Azwar Anas. At least 50 main papers from local
speakers and ten others from guest speakers from Malaysia and
Singapore will be discussed in the convention.

Wardiman, who since his 1993 appointment to the cabinet has
been trumpeting his "link and match" concept focusing on the need
to adjust the content of education to the demands of the
industrial world, will also explain his views on education
development for 2020.