Neglect leaves schools on brink of crisis

Neglect leaves schools on brink of crisis

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): "We have been neglecting our elementary schools
for years," a high-ranking government official admitted recently.

Both the Indonesian government and public have long considered
these elementary schools worthless, said Djauzak Achmad, director
of primary education at the Ministry of Education and Culture,
during an interview with The Jakarta Post last Friday.

"We are all responsible for the declining quality of our
elementary schools. Many Indonesians forget that elementary
school is actually a central point in any education system,"
Djauzak said.

If we compare education to a building, primary school is the
foundation. "How can we expect a building to stand if its
foundation is poorly built?" he asked.

Because of the lack of attention, Indonesia now faces a series
of problems regarding elementary school children, he said.

Today people complain about the poor quality of the nation's
basic education system. The school curriculum, under qualified
teachers, the poor physical condition of school buildings and
their supporting facilities all contribute to the problem.

Rigid curriculum and under qualified teachers have often been
blamed for low quality students. The government is frequently
criticized for being inconsistent in applying school curriculum,
particularly at the elementary level.

"School curriculum is always changing. Each minister has his
or her own program. That will certainly confuse school kids,"
commented an observer who asked to remain anonymous.

The government is now applying a new curriculum to replace the
one issued in l984. The new curriculum, completed in l992 under
former minister Fuad Hassan and applied under current Minister
Wardiman Djojonegoro, attempts to respond to the criticism that
the previous education system resulted in monotonous classes and
a lack of basic skills among students. The new curriculum,
launched last year for the first through four grades, allows
teachers to utilize any teaching methods. Any method goes and
there are no time targets for particular items in every subject.

The main objective of the new elementary curriculum is to
ensure that children understand the basic subjects of reading,
writing and arithmetic.

Teacher's guidelines

To implement the new curriculum, teachers have been equipped
with simpler teaching guidelines. The guidelines require teachers
to use more initiative and every source available. Outdoor
activities have been stressed in order to stimulate children's
curiosity about the environment.

The replacement of mathematics with traditional arithmetic has
led to serious debate among experts, teachers and parents.
Scientist Andi Hakim Nasution, former rector of the Bogor
Institute of Agriculture and an avid supporter of maths,
explained that children should master math to train their logic.
Teachers and parents, on the other hand, argue that they have
difficulty teaching math and helping their kids doing their math
homework.

"Mathematics is so abstract that young children cannot even
add up while shopping," complained a parent.

The new curriculum also emphasizes reading and writing skills.
A recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Education and
Culture revealed that almost 25 percent of elementary school
graduates aren't able to read, write or add.

Conny Semiawan, a professor of education, however, stressed
that the curriculum can be changed in line with the country's
development. But, the most important point is that the curriculum
is applied. Teachers must play a crucial role in making any
curriculum applicable to the students, the professor said.

"Elementary school teachers must be experienced teachers and
highly educated persons as they have to teach basic education to
young children, especially those in the first to third grades,"
Conny noted.

"Many schools posted junior teachers at the first to third
grades. This is really wrong," Conny stressed.

Young children learn rapidly. They have to be properly
stimulated mentally and physically. Unfortunately, this doesn't
happen. Most elementary school teachers have only graduated from
Sekolah Pendidikan Guru SD, a training high-school for teachers.

To improve the quality of elementary school teachers, the
government requires all teachers to obtain a special teaching
diploma. In cooperation with the National Teachers Association,
the government also runs various upgrading and training programs.

According to the association's data, the are about 1,116,000
elementary school teachers in Indonesia. Only 200,000 of them
have obtained their teaching diplomas.

A lack of skilled teachers has also many kids to dropout of
elementary school. The number of elementary school dropouts has
reached about 1.2 million a year or 4.3 percent of the total
elementary school children. These kids add to the number of
illiterate people in Indonesia.

Poor living conditions and salaries for teachers have also
contributed to the low quality of the nation's education system.

"How can we give our best for their children if we still have
to think about our stomach?" asked Suharti, a school teacher at
SD Inpres in Ceger, East Jakarta. She earns Rp 60,000 a month,
excluding a few incentives from the school's parents'
association.

Djauzak, however, believes that the government has paid
special attention to the welfare of the teachers. Compared to
other government employees, teachers receive higher salaries.
They are also given various incentives, including longer holiday
period.

"Salaries are a very classic problem. What is most important
is the teacher's commitment to their profession as real
educators," Djauzak argued.

Building

Apart from inconsistent curriculum and under qualified
teachers, the physical condition of many public schools also adds
to the poor quality of elementary school graduates.

"Can you imagine that the majority of Indonesian children are
studying in shabby school buildings with muddy and unhealthy
surroundings?" he asked.

There are 26 million primary school students, 15 percent of
the total population of Indonesia. Most of these students are
registered in public schools, Sekolah Dasar Inpres or SD Inpres
(elementary schools built under the Presidential Decree in line
with the country's compulsory education program).

The physical condition of most SD Inpres in the country is
deplorable. Many class rooms have cracked walls, leaky roofs and
no windows. Students are often found sitting on the floor because
there are no benches or tables.

Recent reports show that the SD Inpres were hastily built to
meet the government's target. Many developers were also reported
to have scrimped on the construction of the school buildings in
order to make a larger profit. There are 148,000 school buildings
in 137,000 public schools and 11,000 private schools.

Djauzak added that it is impossible for the children to absorb
all important lessons in such a poor environment. This poor
condition has affected teachers' morale and has stopped many
young people from becoming elementary school teachers, he said.

"I don't accept any excuse saying that there are no funds or
land for the construction of elementary schools. Indonesia has
ample land. Schools should be constructed on prime locations.
This is a very important project which involves the country's
future generation," Djauzak stressed.

Realizing that many school buildings were demolished to make
way for business districts and housing estates, Djauzak commented
that those involved in the projects are heartless and don't
understand the importance of education.

Recent reports reveal that a number of public schools,
including SD Kelapa Dua and several nearby SD Inpres, were torn
down for the development of the Lippo Village housing complex in
Tangerang, 20 km west of Jakarta. The planned alternative sites
the developer provided are in remote and swampy areas. For
inhabitants in their housing complex, mostly middle to upper
class people, the developer built a Rp 20 billion ($10 million)
elite school called Pelita Harapan.

"This sharp contrast will certainly cause social friction
between the rich and poor. For most developers, business is much
more important than education," he said. The government has
actually required housing developers to provide education
facilities for both the inhabitants of housing complexes and the
neighboring villages, but many businesses have violated this
regulation.