Planned regional autonomy lacks ruling on education, says expert

JAKARTA (JP): Education experts have raised concerns over the lack of ruling in education ahead of next year's planned regional autonomy.

A professor at the Indonesian University of Education, Fuad Abdul Hamied, said on Saturday, "It remains unclear which issues should be handled by local administrators and which should be handled by the central government."

Addressing a one-day seminar on national education held by the Esti Bhakti Foundation here, Fuad said that the lack of rulings "could create chaos".

Draft regulations to implement laws on regional autonomy and fiscal balance are still being prepared.

He added the problem lies in a contradiction between regional autonomy and the 1989 law on education, which still stresses a highly centralized education system.

Fuad said the central government should only set basic standards and rules for the parties providing education and monitor practices, while technical implementation should be left to society.

"The economic crisis has also been a blessing in disguise for the government," Fuad said. He said the crisis led to the government admitting its wrong paradigm of relations between the government and society in education affairs.

Regional autonomy should provide space for community initiative and participation in education. In the past, "the people lacked a sense of belonging to national education," he said.

Education and Management Development Foundation administrator, J. Riberu, said that regional education boards should be formed, which would have full authority on education affairs. He also suggested the regional boards determine each region's curriculum.

"There should be a diverse curriculum for every region ... in accordance with the region's needs and conditions," Riberu said.

He said the board should comprise regional representatives, such as from the local government, informal leaders and religious leaders, educators and school administrators.

Another speaker, Karlina Leksono, who teaches philosophy at the University of Indonesia, said the current centralized system resulted in uniformed opinions and reproduction of the regime's ideology among students.

Former rector of Muhammadiyah University, Mochtar Buchori, reminded the forum that decentralization also meant that education was not limited to schools.

"All countries which have succeeded in education have good informal education systems," Mochtar said, citing, among others, Malaysia and Singapore.

The experts said decentralization should not be done drastically.

"There should be a systematical and serious effort to help regions to prepare themselves," Fuad said.

Fuad said the current centralized education system had created "the regions' impotency and made them always wait for instructions from the central government." (08)