Minister: Improve school quality to address educational disparities
Koba, Bangka Belitung (ANTARA) - The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Abdul Mu’ti, stated that the government is continuously working to improve school quality to address the educational disparity that persists in various regions, including the gap between public and private schools.
“Therefore, we are striving to realise the President’s vision, which is to build a superior generation throughout 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 disparity in educational quality remains a challenge because the quality of educational services is not yet evenly distributed between Java and regions outside of Java.
He stated that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is committed to providing support to both public and private schools through various programmes to improve the quality of educational services.
One form of this support is realised through revitalisation assistance provided to SD and SMP Taruna Sains Muhamability Koba.
He noted that government assistance does not only consist of the construction and repair of educational facilities, but also the strengthening of human resource capacity within schools.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, he said, provides training for teachers and educational staff to enhance competence and the quality of learning within educational units.
Furthermore, he added that the government is also distributing various learning support facilities to ensure that the teaching and learning process runs more effectively and with higher quality.
“We hope that these various forms of assistance can address the issue of educational disparity,” said Abdul Mu’ti.
He emphasised that the effort to overcome educational quality disparities is not achieved by lowering the standards of already excellent schools, but rather by improving the quality of those that are lagging behind.
“If we continue to improve those at the top, while simultaneously pushing and lifting those at the bottom, we will achieve equality in the world of education,” he said.