How to Improve Education in Indonesia

Education in Indonesia is primarily the responsibility of the Ministry of National Education of Indonesia. According to the Indonesian Constitution, all citizens must undertake nine years of compulsory education, six years at elementary level and three in junior high school. The constitution also notes that education in Indonesia is divided into two major parts, formal and non-formal.

Since its independence in 1945, The Government of Indonesia has steadily made efforts to improve and expand its education system. Over the years, significant efforts have been made to develop all levels of formal education in Indonesia, from elementary to university education.
The extent to which a nation has achieved success in improving its education is a barometer for measuring its development. Education in Indonesia lags far behind many other countries. The slow progress in the education sector in Indonesia is reflected in the Human Development Index report 2007, which ranked Indonesia number 107 with a score of 0.728. The Human Development Index is an indicator that measures a nation's quality of life, access to proper education, life expectancy, living standards and the level of literacy.

Education is essential to development.  It opens doors to all and helps people to lift themselves out of poverty. It empowers people and is a powerful “equalizer”. The best and only way to produce qualified human resources is the provision of a flawless education system.

What is Quality Education?

Quality education encompasses the following aspects:

• Schools that are in good condition, both in physical infrastructure and teaching resources
• A well balanced curriculum that meets the needs of the students and includes many forms of skills training, including technology
• Teacher-based education where the welfare and abilities of the teachers are satisfactory
• Education that is implemented using contextual learning that prepares children for the challenges of the future

Indonesia has made significant developments in education in the last 10 years in terms of quantity. However, in terms of quality, not much advancement has been made. Educational institutions do not have consistent quality across the board. Only institutions that charge high tuition fees can provide high quality teaching and learning systems. As a result, they are able to attract only the upper class students. Less financially viable institutions cannot compete.

To improve the quality of education in Indonesia, the Government is making efforts to:

• Create a national movement for completion of basic education, involving communities, especially parents and community leaders, NGOs, the private and industrial sectors.
• Enhance and strengthen existing essential programmes for increasing school enrolment
• Mobilise resources for maintaining and improving the Basic Education Programme.
• Provide better opportunities for private schools and community-based educational institutions to participate in basic education provision.
• Use alternative education approaches and programmes to reach previously unreached poor and remote communities and improve equity in access to basic education.

This is where the global community can be a part of Indonesia’s efforts. Many non-profit organisations from Canada like Mustard Seed Canada have been involved in providing quality education to students in Indonesia by:

• building and running schools for children
• enabling children in remote areas to have an education
• rebuilding schools destroyed by natural disasters
• creating necessary infrastructure in schools to enhance learning
• offering scholarships to children from disadvantaged backgrounds
• providing teacher-training facilities for pre-service as well as in-service programs
• fostering student exchange programs and study tours
• launching university partnership programs

Donations to charity made by ordinary people help make an extraordinary difference to the students in Indonesia, providing them with resources that we in developed countries take for granted.

(source by  Mustard Seed Canada)