RI requires much higher quality education nationwide; Academics
RI requires much higher quality education nationwide; Academics
Leony Aurora, Jakarta
Education observers suggested on Wednesday that the government
should focus on improving the quality of education at schools
instead of merely pushing for higher standards in the national
final examinations.
Chairperson of the Indonesian Educators Association Sudjiarto
said during a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday that
several factors, such as curriculum, teachers, as well as
students' backgrounds and conditions, influenced the quality of
education.
"In Indonesia, the disparities (among schools and students)
are huge," he told reporters. "It is impossible to expect equal
results from the learning process."
Conny Semiawan, who once taught in the former Jakarta Teacher
Training Institute, said that evaluation on the disparities
should be the point of departure in improving education.
A report of the South East Asian Ministers of Education
Organization (SEAMEO) in 2001 revealed that in Indonesia, 62
percent of elementary school teachers and 29 percent of junior
high teachers were not capable of teaching, said Conny.
"Therefore we need to fairly distribute and place teachers
across the country," she added.
The observers were commenting on the implementation of the
national final examinations. Students need to score at least 4.01
in all subjects, including in English, Bahasa Indonesia and
Mathematics that will be drafted by the Ministry of National
Education, in order to obtain "passing" certificates and continue
their education.
Sudjiarto said that in Germany and the United States, national
assessments for students were also conducted, but they served
more as feedback to map out problems and not to decide whether
the students could go to the next grade or not.
Meanwhile, head of Indonesia Corruption Watch Teten Masduki
questioned the motives behind the national exams.
"Wrongly allocated budgets -- using budget for one program
while there are other more pressing priorities -- can be
considered as corruption," Teten said.
An estimated Rp 1 trillion (US$116.28 million) from the
central government, provincial, regental and municipal
administrations, as well as from parents, would be spent on the
exams and their preparation, Teten said.
The government has allocated Rp 280 billion from its budget
for the national exams and the remedial tests. At the provincial
level, for example, the Jakarta administration has provided Rp 10
billion more for the implementation of the tests.
In comparison, from this year's state budget, Rp 200 billion
has been set aside for the construction of 215 much needed new
junior high schools.