Education experts call for revision of curriculum

Education experts call for revision of curriculum

JAKARTA (JP): Education experts called for a more hasty review
and revision of the curriculum instead of the usual 10-year cycle
to allow the country's education content to be more factual, and
to respond to the challenges of globalization.

"Countries such as Japan or German quickly evaluate or revise
their curriculum every four to five years," said M. Djamil
Ibrahim, director of the curriculum center at the Ministry of
National Education.

"If we are stuck with the old ones, how can we adjust to
global demands?" he told journalists on Monday.

The current curriculum has been used for six years and was
last revised in 1994, replacing the previous curriculum which was
drafted in 1984.

"Revising the curriculum has always been a tough issue as it
inevitably costs a lot of money to, for example, change text
books," Djamil said.

"But actually the basic sciences such as mathematics never
change a great deal so we don't necessarily need new books. The
most important thing is how these children can master basic
education," Djamil said.

Meanwhile, a team of experts on basic education also slammed
the government's inconsistencies and lack of a "sense of crisis"
in running the education policy which has caused Indonesia to
have a poor ranking in mathematics and science.

According to a recent survey of 38 members of the Third
International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Indonesia
ranked in the bottom six in mathematics and science.

"We always knew that our students are very poor in maths and
science because since 1975 the average score for both subjects in
the National Exam was never above the passing grade, which is
six," Ade Cahyana, head of information for basic education
division.

One difficulty according to Ade is the fact that the education
policy often changes in line with the promotion of a new
education minister.

"Fuad Hasan put emphasis on local content, Wardiman
Djojonegoro wanted more linking and matching. Now Minister Yahya
strives to place basic education at the core of the curriculum".

"We are outclassed on almost every front as our students lack
practice and are instead getting too many lectures in both maths
and science," Ade remarked.

N.S. Vijaya of the curriculum center further stated that the
way students are taught needs to be improved.

"Students only learn maths and science in an abstract way,
which obviously weakens their logic," Vijaya said.

In a bid to cope with the complex problem, the ministry of
national education's research center is planning to standardize
basic science for elementary to secondary education and higher
education which includes cross-disciplinary subjects such as
criminology

"It is sad that there are even policeman who cannot
differentiate between tapioca flour and heroin. It is basic
science," Vijaya said. (edt)