Foreign schools no threat, Wardiman says

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro has promised the opening of foreign schools here will not threaten the livelihood of local schools.

"In fact, the more schools there are, the better, because there is still a shortage of schools here," Wardiman was quoted by Antara as saying yesterday after opening a symposium on distance education in Bali. Some 200 participants from 20 countries attended the symposium.

The government recently announced its plan to introduce some deregulations in education, including allowing foreign schools to operate here. A 1990 government regulation on education bans foreign universities from operating here.

Wardiman said yesterday the government has begun encouraging foreign schools to open here, with the system and curriculum applied in their own countries.

He argued the move would attract foreign investors here, as the schools would guarantee good education for foreign families.

"Besides, Indonesia can introduce its culture through those foreign schools," Wardiman said.

There are currently 43 international schools in Indonesia, including the British International School, the Japanese International School and the newly opened Rama International School. The number is expected to grow along with the growth in foreign investment here.

Minister of Administrative Reforms T.B. Silalahi first raised the government's plan to introduce the deregulation on education last month, a move applauded by many parties, including the Australian government which said earlier that it would bolster cooperation on education between Indonesia and Australia.

Law number 2/1989 on education says education cooperation with other countries is allowed as long as it does not violate the law or is against national interest.

The 1990 government directive number 30, however, says that "foreign parties are not allowed to establish universities or operate in Indonesia". The directive defines operation as students enrollment, learning activities, grading, and graduation ceremonies.

By way of appeasing the concern of local schools, Wardiman said the government applies several conditions before a foreign school can operate here, including a minimum number of students and strong sponsorship to ensure the schools are able to operate continuously.

"Those schools are not competitors for local schools because they are opened for foreigners," he said Saturday at the opening of the Rama International School.

Wardiman said the government would not intervene if "poor" private universities merged with those with greater financial resources.

"The government cannot interfere... because the government does not know in detail the condition of those universities," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

There are currently 1,228 private universities and 76 state- run universities in Indonesia. (swe)