House expects to release new education bill this month
House expects to release new education bill this month
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Rekindling hopes of a better education for the nation's
children, lawmakers plan to release a new education bill later
this month, promising greater authority for schools and the
public to decide what and how students learn.
The bill's release will come against the backdrop of
continuing debate over the country's changing education system.
Legislators expect to complete the bill by May 26, according
to an official at the Ministry of Education.
"They (legislators) will still have to discuss it with the
government at various working meetings," said Ibrahim Musa, a
consultant to the now defunct Education Reforms Committee.
The committee was in charge of drafting the bill before
legislators took over the job. If enacted, it would replace the
1989 education law.
Ibrahim said the new bill reflects the implementation of
regional autonomy, which began in 2001. However, its main goal is
to reform the education sector, he added.
One of its ground-breaking features will be to give schools
greater authority in managing their own affairs.
"The government provides the national curriculum, schools
decide how they are going to achieve it and with what books,"
Ibrahim explained.
According to him, this concept has been widely accepted by
both schools and parents whom the government has sought comments
from.
An important indicator of the direction of the reforms can be
found under the bill's chapter defining the purpose of national
education.
In the latest draft, Ibrahim said, the purpose was to develop
the potential of a learner to become a person of good character,
who is healthy, knowledgeable, creative, aesthetic and
democratic.
The revised purpose is far shorter than the present one,
making it less demanding and more achievable.
It is also the summary of various opinions compiled by the
National Education Commission. The commission seats education
experts, academics, religious leaders, economists and public
representatives.
The country's education sector has lost its direction since
the reform era emerged, following the downfall of Soeharto in
1998.
As the nation braces a multitude of changes, it has become
clear the 1989 education law is no longer fit to cope with them.
Despite efforts to provide an agreeable redefinition of the
purpose behind the national education system, the gap in opinion
remain vast.
Conflicting ideas on the issue are common and the debate
remains a heated one among experts of the same field.
Education expert J.P. Drost said every time the government
wanted to change its education policy, critics killed the
initiative.
This time around, he said, the government lacked clarity over
what its new policy meant and where it was leading to.
He also suggested the state should not meddle too much in
character development as it was unsuitable for classroom
teaching.
"The purpose of education should be to develop people's
potential and enable them to mature so they become competent in
whatever field they choose," Drost explained.
Education expert Arief Rachman shared a different point of
view. He said education should focus on developing character and
knowledge.
"Mathematics, physics and so on are of course important, but
they should not become the leading benchmark. Personality is more
important," he added.