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