Semester system to replace the quarterly scheme
Semester system to replace the quarterly scheme
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The quarterly system currently being applied in the national
education curriculum from elementary to senior high school will
be replaced by the semester scheme starting next year, an
official said on Tuesday.
"Evaluating lessons using the semester system like in
university will be more advantageous," the Ministry of National
Education's director general of elementary and high school
education, Indradjati, said.
Speaking after presenting awards to winners of an essay
writing contest on Korea, Indradjati said one of the advantages
was that it would enable students to learn in depth over a longer
period of time, not in several stages followed by holidays like
in the current system.
The semester system would also enable both teachers and
students to make better preparations for better evaluations,
Indradjati said.
He said that the new system would be less of a financial
burden to students' parents as only two textbooks would be used
per subject per year instead of the three per subject in the
current system.
"Preparations for introducing the semester system are still
being made and its proposal has been advanced to the minister in
the hope that it can be fully applied next year," he said as
quoted by Antara.
In a related development, the Ministry of National Education
will allow schools to decide for themselves whether to close for
an Idul Fitri holiday, an official said on Tuesday.
"Schools, whether public or private, can determined the
arrangement of the Ramadhan holiday by themselves, as long as
they don't sacrifice effective school days," Indradjati Sidi,
director general for elementary and secondary schools, said.
The fasting month of Ramadhan starts in mid-November and ends
with Idul Fitri on Dec. 16 and Dec. 17.
The ministry will offer two options: either a long holiday at
the end of Ramadhan, or a shorter holiday at the beginning of the
fasting month after which school would resume until the year-end
holiday, he announced after presenting the 2001 Essay Writing on
Korea awards.
Schools that decide against the longer Ramadhan holiday could
have a longer Christmas and year-end holiday.
However, schools will be required to notify and coordinate
with the their respective provincial-level offices of the
Ministry of National Education regarding their school holidays.
The ministry will issue official letters to schools nationwide
regarding the matter.
In the past, state schools were obliged to accept the
government-set Idul Fitri holiday schedule. At one time, no state
school was allowed to hold classes during the whole month of
Ramadhan.