Only 20% of nonformal courses meet government standards

JAKARTA (JP): Only 20 percent of 19,000 registered nonformal courses countrywide are up to government standards, a senior official said yesterday.

The courses range from computing to foreign languages, said Director of Extracurricular Activities and Sports Mochtar Djalal.

Mochtar added, however, that he did not mean to say that the remaining 80 percent are unforgivably poor in quality.

"They (the substandard 80 percent) still contribute to the people's education," Mochtar said after opening an education exhibition.

The three-day Nonformal Education Exhibition, organized by PT Trimitra Pundiartha Mandiri, is being held at Atrium Plaza in Senen, Central Jakarta, until Sunday.

Most of the 19 participants are educational institutions that offer courses in computing, accounting, hotel management, tourism, electronics and automotive repair.

Mochtar pointed out that the quality of the courses is measured by the quality of their teachers, facilities and curriculum.

There are courses which have qualified teachers but lack facilities, and there are language courses which employ native speakers but do not have good facilities," Mochtar said, citing typical problems.

The ministry is conducting a trial-run project for five courses in five subjects -- electronics, computing, accounting, hotels and tourism as well as auto repair -- in eight provinces.

The one-year project is to produce input that will allow the government to draft national standards for the human resources and curriculums used in nonformal courses.

"We expect to obtain the results next year," Mochtar said, adding that the results will be applied nationwide.

He said nonformal courses are needed to bridge the gap between the education and industrial sectors.

"The courses are expected to produce quality graduates that can take advantage of sophisticated technology and improve their efficiency, effectivity and productivity," Mochtar said. (ste)