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)