Dilemma of nine-year compulsory education

Dilemma of nine-year compulsory education

Darmaningtyas, Center for the Betterment of Education,
Jakarta

The miserable conditions of schools found in Madura prevail in
but particularly outside Java. In Java, lots of elementary school
buildings are in bad repair and short of teachers, such as in
Central Java, where 15,804 teachers for SDs and 11,672 for
secondary schools are still needed (Kompas, Aug. 3, 2002).

The destruction has resulted from construction based merely on
profit-seeking based contracting -- unlike construction of
buildings under Dutch rule, or those built under self-management,
with a greater focus on quality, as proven by strong old
structures in contrast to the ruined buildings of the New Order.

Therefore it has been proposed that public primary schools
should be built by communities through self-management instead of
private contractors. Therefore, the bureaucrats' financial
concept that buildings worth more than Rp 50 million must be put
to a bid needs a review.

The sense of belonging in a community would enable serious
handling of construction. Allocations for two locations, for
example, could be used for three sites with higher quality than
two locations in the hands of developers. The commissions
demanded by officials usually reduce contractors' project funds
to only 70 percent.

Teachers are scarcely found in most villages, firstly because
the proper numbers needed have not been met from the beginning.
Secondly, some of the villages once had enough teachers but they
are now returning home or moving to urban areas. Thirdly, many of
the teachers have retired without being replaced.

The absence of appointments of new teachers for a long time
marks the educational situation in Depapre district, Jayapura
regency, Papua. Forty percent of the 32 primary schools there
face a serious shortage; there is even a school served by a
single teacher. Worse still, lots of teachers are not qualified.

Unless promptly solved, the problems of poorly maintained
buildings and unavailability of more teachers will hamper public
access to elementary education. But if the solution is made
without proper planning, the outcome will be to no avail in view
of the strong decline of enrollments, and new schools may later
have to close because of the absence of students.

Caution should also be exercised in the construction of
secondary schools in many places to avoid waste of investments.
In SLTPN 2 (state secondary school) of Pasongsongan, Sumenep,
nine buildings plus laboratories and a library have listed only
66 students in the 2001/2002 school year.

The other phenomenon is declining public enthusiasm to send
children to school owing to the lack of confidence in formal
educational institutions.

This can be noticed especially in rural areas following the
economic crisis of 1997. With no more hopes in formal education,
primary school graduates are told to work in the nearest cities
or get married at a young age.

Early marriage frequently taking place in the 1970s is now
recurring, with a different background. In the past it was due to
ignorance of the negative impact haunting this custom, while now
it is an expression of disappointment in what is believed to be
formal education's failure in responding to practical issues.
Both arguments harm the interests of Indonesian women.

The government can adopt realistic and accommodative choices
to surmount the dilemmatic problems of primary education:

Firstly, the trend of student enrollment should be observed
before building new schools. If the number enrolled is
decreasing, renting villagers' homes near the schools in question
should become the solution. Besides saving costs, local
communities would be involved in collective problem solving and
can feel the "trickle-down effect" of schools. New or repaired
buildings are needed for schools with steady flows of students.

Secondly, shortages of teachers could be overcome by combining
small and closely located primary schools with students of less
than 90 children. Transport subsidies should be provided for
students who have to cover long distances. This is more
economical because there is no need to rehabilitate buildings and
appoint new teachers.

Thirdly, practical programs are required to give new hope to
those furthering their study at secondary schools so as to
restore their confidence in formal education. Free education
service is one system that should be applied to relieve public
burden and arouse higher schooling interest, though the students
may fail to continue to high schools.

Fourthly, the solution of primary educational issues cannot be
handled by one institution (i.e. the ministry of national
education), but it should involve its counterparts like the
ministry of public works for road infrastructure and buildings,
and the ministry of communications for public transport
facilities. Schools with a lack of teachers and students with
declining interest in further study are mostly in remote regions
with poor infrastructure.

No less important is the synergy of forces in the central and
regional administrations, so that both no longer evade their
obligations.

Now the question remains, who is supposed to lead the campaign
for the success of this nine-year compulsory education program?
If the lead in this endeavor is not apparent, it is impossible to
draw the attention of external parties. Stakeholders will also
most likely be confused when they want to contribute to the
program: Where should their support go, to the central government
or regional administrations?