Local human resources still lacking

JAKARTA (JP): The start of the free trade era in 2003 is just around the corner, but Indonesia's human resources are still ill- prepared for it, Minister of Education and Culture Juwono Sudarsono lamented yesterday.

Speaking at a seminar on human resources development at the University of Indonesia campus in Depok, West Java, Juwono described how the country still had to work long and hard to improve its education system and produce quality human resources on a par with other countries'.

He pointed out how most private universities emphasized producing graduates with practical skills to meet public demands for quick and marketable diplomas. The approach helped the learning institutions survive but lacked broader perspectives and vision, he said.

"Human resources aren't a matter of fact, they are needed by industries but we're talking about (the importance of) quality (human resources)," Juwono said.

Ideally, 45 percent of all 76 state-run universities and 25 percent of 1,228 private universities should focus on engineering and technology, he said. He did not give the existing statistics.

Education ministry data compiled in 1996 said there were 47,000 state-owned university lecturers and 9,000 private university lecturers. The universities are predicted to have graduated 5.5 million students by 2020.

Juwono said 60 percent of the 202 million population were aged between 15 and 29 years, and there were still chances to develop better higher learning institutions.

When asked if changes in the curriculum could be the answer, Juwono said the ministry had set priorities regarding problems to be tackled.

"Problems in education are abundant and we'll settle them one by one, step by step, and carefully. Don't rush, I'm afraid immature policies will only result in more damage to our precious human resources," he said.

In facing the approaching free trade era, Indonesia also needed to encourage mutually beneficial links between industry and education institutions, Juwono said, adding that research centers should be involved as well.

University of Indonesia rector Asman Boedisantoso Ranakusuma concurred with Juwono, saying that improved technology and engineering skills would give the country a competitive advantage in the future. (emf)