The nine-year education program

The nine-year education program

The late Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjadiningrat, known as Ki
Hadjar Dewantara, was an Indonesian hero who pioneered the
national education system.

Born 85 years ago and a descendant of Yogyakarta's royal
family, Paku Alam III, he realized that education was the only
way to enhance the people's standard of living. As a result of
his beliefs, he built the Perguruan Taman Siswa college on July
3, 1919.

Besides being a minister of education when Indonesia became an
independent nation, he was also the chairman of the Educational
Law Committee that reformed Law No. 4/1950, establishing the
basic educational curriculum from elementary to senior high
school.

Because of his achievements, the government named his date of
birth, May 2, National Education Day.

This year National Education Day is being honored by the
launching of a nine-year compulsory education program, which
obliges every Indonesian child to study until grade nine. No fees
are attached to this program, which intends to increase the
quality of human resources and to answer the challenge of
globalization.

Critics and scholars have warned the government about the
negative impact of the program saying it will drive out the
private schools and that it is too early to launch such a program
because the proper school facilities for grade seven to nine are
not available.

But all of those criticisms did not stop Minister of Education
and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro from enforcing this policy. He
said that the show must go on. At the same time we are improving
the system.

This program, indeed, will be a long journey, but perhaps it
will further Ki Hajar Dewantara's dream.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta