New curriculum expected to improve quality of graduates

Efforts to reform Indonesia's education began in 1984, when the government introduced compulsory education for elementary school students.

The move was the first step toward fulfilling the mandate of Article 31(1) of the 1945 Constitution, which reads "Every citizen shall be entitled to receive education."

The decision, although 39 years behind schedule, was aimed at providing education for all and due to financial conditions, was limited to elementary education. It was only in 1993 that compulsory education was extended to junior high school level.

Then came the hardest part, which was to improve the quality of education. Even as the first phase of compulsory education started, there were concerns about the quality of education as the government focused more on providing education to as many students as possible, in some cases at the expense of quality. The argument was, quantity first, quality may come later.

The government took another significant step this year by abolishing the much-criticized nation-wide final exam system (Ebtanas), allowing schools to run the National Final Test (UAN) alongside their own final exam. The problem with UAN is that its results do not guarantee acceptance at the next level of education. Elementary school students must take an entrance test to enter the junior high school of their choice, regardless of their UAN grades. Certainly this consumes a lot of money and manpower. Why ask students to sit a test when the results don't mean anything?

Efforts to improve the quality of education and school graduates, too, have met serious constraints, notably in reforming the school curriculum. The public has been very critical of the existing curriculum that was introduced in 1994 that nowhere near fulfills the need to make students fit for future challenges.

Educator J. Drost has often said that the 1994 curriculum could only be applied for smart students, while the bulk of students with average intelligence could not follow the system.

According to Drost's estimate, 70 percent of students do not study, not because there is a lack of discipline, but because the curriculum is suitable for only 30 percent of students. In Drost's view, Indonesia is the only country in the world that does not provide schooling for ordinary students.

One of the biggest concerns about today's curriculum is that it is designed to enable high school students to pass university entrance tests, not to develop students into individuals with a strong character and personality. Also, as a result of the Ebtanas, schools have been focusing on certain areas of study, including mathematics, at the expense of other studies.

In response to growing calls for a better curriculum, the Ministry of National Education is working to replace it with a competency-based system for junior and senior high school students.

With the new curriculum, it is hoped that school graduates will have competitive and comparative advantages. School graduates are also expected to have a strong character and personality and be knowledgeable and skillful.

The government started introducing the new curriculum in March in 12 elementary schools, 12 junior high schools, and 12 senior high schools in four provinces as a pilot project.

The ministry, however, acknowledges that the existing education system has yet to produce graduates with the desired qualifications. It also admits that student evaluation is simply based on the results of the final exams, while other indicators, such as skill, moral values, personality and responsibility are ignored.