Raising standard of national educational
Andrew Vivian, Coordinator Principal, Sekolah Ciputra High School, Surabaya
Indonesian education, like so many other sectors of Indonesian society, is facing enormous challenges in the effort to stay in touch with global trends. In recognition of the desirability of curriculum change the Indonesian government has begun the implementation of the Kurikulum Berbasis Kompetensi (KBK), a collection of outcomes-based syllabuses for schools, from primary through to the end of senior high school.
The KBK presents a different view of education to that previously offered in most Indonesian schools. The emphasis is on the learning outcomes that students achieve, within a content framework. Teachers are forced to consider higher aspects of thinking than straight recall, and to introduce teaching, learning and assessment activities into their classrooms that effect the achievement of knowledge, skills and values outcomes.
Effective educational change requires a number of prerequisites, with the major ones being the support and commitment of teachers. Teachers need to understand the benefits of change for themselves and their students, and have the resources to implement change. Time is the primary resource; time for training and planning.
Many schools are under-resourced in terms of facilities and teachers, and, in some parts of the archipelago, the task of offering any sort of education is exceptionally difficult. Additionally, the employment conditions of teachers in government schools make it nearly impossible for school administrators to organize the training and professional development needed for meaningful curriculum change.
Fortunately, there are some schools that acknowledge a "social contract" with Indonesian education. These schools have the facilities and school organization that enable them to provide their teachers with training and planning time. They play a role in the training and development of teachers from other schools, and in the supporting of principals and education bureaucrats in implementing the KBK. These schools tend to be the leading National Plus schools.
The tag "National Plus" has been recognized as an excellent marketing tool, as exemplified by the proliferation of new schools calling themselves "National Plus" throughout Indonesia. In an article in The Jakarta Post, Raden Dunbar, the Chairman of the Association of National Plus Schools, pointed out that many of these new schools may not have the school organization or curriculum to justify this classification. National Plus schools are more than what the tag implies -- in addition to being schools that offer the Indonesian national curriculum, "plus" an international option, they have teaching methods and facilities approaching those found in any other country in the world. In other words, they are schools about which Indonesians can feel proud. In common with every other developing section of Indonesian society, international assistance plays a significant part.
Implementing the KBK is more about how students are taught and assessed, rather than about what they are taught. In secondary schools it is about getting teachers away from the desk at the front of the room and decreasing their reliance on textbooks. It is about inquiry learning, cooperative learning and all the other teaching strategies that have been successful worldwide. This is where the international character of the good National Plus schools is apparent -- they empower Indonesian teachers to deliver the KBK in ways that are internationally proven.
Some of these schools are also providing experience for Indonesian teachers in administration, particularly in the "middle-management" positions that characterize effective schools in developed countries. Creating roles for Indonesian teachers such as organizing a subject faculty or supervising a year level of students strengthen the culture of National Plus schools, as well as providing experience for tomorrow's school leaders.
Another major contribution of the National Plus schools is the provision of international-standard training and development for their teachers. Indonesian teachers have the opportunity to present workshops for Indonesian and expatriate teachers alike at conferences and cluster meetings. National networks are being set up in a number of subject areas. Some schools also provide their teachers with international training and experience. The end result is a growing number of Indonesian educators with skills and knowledge comparable to that of teachers from any country.
A growing number of schools in Indonesia are adopting the Primary Years Program (PYP) and Middle Years Program (MYP) of the International Baccalaureate Organization. A basic tenet of these programs is the underpinning of the curriculum with national culture and identity, within a global context. These programs provide an ideal vehicle for schools seeking to prepare students who will contribute to the future development of Indonesian society. The training and development and expectations of Indonesian teachers in these programs is identical to those everywhere else in the world.
In terms of student outcomes, the good National Plus schools produce international-standard Indonesian graduates. A PYP certificate or MYP certificate in the hands of an Indonesian student is identical to that of a student from China, the U.S., Australia or Europe. Likewise, a graduate of the international programs from these schools has exactly the same qualification as a graduate from the host country. However, these qualifications are gained within an Indonesian environment. The graduates have the best of both worlds. Like good private schools in any country, the graduates from the Indonesian national programs of National Plus schools enter top Indonesian and international universities.
The National Plus schools have the human and financial resources to provide an education currently out of the reach of most Indonesian children. However, they have the standards of education that the KBK seeks to establish in every Indonesian school. The issue is not so much "what" to teach, but "how" to teach. Some National Plus schools have a proactive approach to improving the educational expertise of their colleagues in the National schools, through visits, workshops and conferences. They share their pedagogical expertise.
Many Indonesian schools do have to be better resourced, and the training and working conditions for most Indonesian teachers must improve. Sections of the government have demonstrated a vision of Indonesian education that will move the country into a new era, but it is the National Plus schools that are making the vision a reality.