More single-teacher schools to open

More single-teacher schools to open

JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Education and Culture plans to expand the concept of the single-teacher school to remote villages as it tries to ensure that every child receives basic primary education.

Djauzak Ahmad, the outgoing Director of Primary Education, told reporters that more than 1.88 million children between seven and 12 years old, or about 6.5 percent of the total in Indonesia, did not attend school at the end of the Fifth Five Year Plan in 1993/94, some of them for lack of facilities in remote areas.

Djauzak held a media briefing yesterday to introduce his successor Achmad D. Sastroastomo and give a rundown of some of the programs being carried out by his office.

One of them is what is known as the "multi-grade teacher schools" which was introduced last year in remote areas in six provinces.

Under this concept, one teacher manages the entire school, acting as principal as well as teaching all six grades. The concept, he added, could be applied in villages with between 10 and 30 children.

The system has been implemented in six villages in Katinang Tengah in Central Kalimantan province, Patede (Central Sulawesi), Muara Kaman (East Kalimantan), Waimena (Irian Jaya), Lehoto (Maluku) and Alai Ungar (Riau). The government this year plans to expand this to other villages in other provinces including Central Java, East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, South Sumatera and West Java.

The system does not require much space to build a new school building, he said, adding that a 500 meter square area will be sufficient. Teachers assigned to run the school will be equipped with facilities to communicate regularly with the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Djauzak said about 30,000 children between seven and 12 years old could not attend school because they live in remote villages that do not have schools.

The government launched the compulsory education program covering children between seven and 12 years old in 1984. In 1994, the program was extended to nine years, for children up to 15 years old. (31)