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?