Primary schools given curriculum control

Primary schools given curriculum control

JAKARTA (JP): The government plans to give regional
administrations greater autonomy over the management of primary
schools in their areas but, at the same time, the teachers at
this level will remain under the direction of the central
government.

The plan, now being reviewed by the Regional Autonomy Board,
was disclosed by Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman
Djojonegoro during a hearing with Commission IX of the House of
Representatives on Tuesday.

Wardiman said his ministry and the office of the State
Minister of Administrative Reform are currently drafting
regulations for greater autonomy in managing primary schools, but
high schools will not be included.

The schools, however, will not have complete freedom as the
law requires all elementary schools to adopt the national
education system.

Some autonomy is necessary at primary school level, said
Wardiman, especially in light of the ethnic and cultural
diversity of Indonesia.

The current policy, where virtually every policy is dictated
by the central administration, has failed to take these local
factors into account, he said.

Too much centralization is also one of the reasons why the
quality of Indonesian primary schools is falling behind its
neighbors like Singapore and Malaysia, he added.

The new primary school curriculum introduced last year allows
local education authorities to incorporate some subjects
particular to their regions, such as local languages and
handicrafts. They will also be allowed to choose the sports and
cultural subjects to be taught in their schools.

Teachers' careers, however, will remain the business of the
central government. The minister said that the central
administration plans to curb the administrative power of regional
governments, who have been overseeing the paths of primary school
teachers since 1951.

He said the current policy has failed to improve the
professionalism of teachers. With the new policy, the career, pay
and other affairs of each teacher will be controlled by the
central government. (29)