Minister: Improve school quality to address educational disparities

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti has said the government continues to improve school quality to address the educational quality gap that still occurs in various regions, including between state and private schools. “Therefore, we are striving to realise the President’s vision of building a superior generation across the country,” said Abdul Mu’ti after attending the revitalisation and inauguration of SD and SMP Taruna Sains Muhammadiyah Koba in Central Bangka Regency, Bangka Belitung, on Thursday. According to him, the educational quality gap remains a challenge due to the uneven quality of education services between Java and other islands. He stated that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is committed to providing support to both state and private schools through various programmes to improve the quality of education services. One form of this support is realised through revitalisation assistance provided to SD and SMP Taruna Sains Muhammadiyah Koba. According to him, government assistance is not only in the form of construction and improvement of educational facilities, but also strengthening the capacity of human resources in schools. The ministry, he said, provides training for teachers and education personnel to improve competence and the quality of learning in educational units. In addition, the government also distributes various learning support facilities so that the teaching and learning process runs more effectively and with higher quality. “We hope that these various forms of assistance can address the problem of educational inequality,” said Abdul Mu’ti. He stressed that efforts to overcome the educational quality gap are not carried out by lowering the quality of schools that are already excellent, but by improving the quality of schools that are still lagging behind. “If those at the top continue to be improved, while those at the bottom continue to be pushed and lifted, there will be equality in the world of education,” he said.