New bill to standardize competence

JAKARTA: The Ministry of Education plans on Friday to compose a bill on vocational education and training in a bid to standardize the level of competence acquired by students through vocational institutions.

Indra Djati Sidi, director general of primary and secondary education, said on Friday the bill would position vocational schools as the backbone of the country's industrial sector.

"The bill guarantees a sustainable system that can create competent and skilled human resources. We can also predict and control the outcome of vocational programs, including their costs and benefits," he said.

Meanwhile, director of advanced vocational education Gatot Hari Priowirjanto said that graduates of vocational programs would be paid higher wages if their competence was recognized and standardized.

The House of Representatives and the government are set to complete deliberation of the national education bill this year. --JP