|
|
 |
|
|
| Education |
| |
Overview
The Indonesian government has long emphasized education as an important factor in social and economic development. As a result, the education level of the population has increased dramatically in the past few decades. In the early 1970s, 74 % of the population had less than a primary education whereas by 1994 that figure had decreased to 34 %. (See The World Bank Group, Social Policy and Governance in the East Asia and Pacific Region) According to the Ministry of National Education, by 1999 around 20% of the population was illiterate, the majority of which are women in rural areas.
The 1945 Indonesian Constitution called for six years compulsory education, through elementary school. In 1994, a plan was launched to extend mandatory education to nine years, requiring children between ages seven and 15 to attend grade school and junior high. Developments such as the 1997 economic crisis however have impeded these efforts.
Most schools in Indonesia are run by the government's Department of Education and Culture; however there are a few private schools conducted by public and private foundations, as well as Islamic schools run by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The educational system is divided into formal education, which includes general education, vocational, religious, and professional schools, and non-formal education, which includes training courses.
Since 1975, a central goal of the government's education system has been to teach students the Indonesian state philosophy, Pancasila. This philosophy is comprised of five basic principles: belief in one God, humanitarianism, national unity, democracy and social justice.
Obstacles
Overall, the education system in Indonesia is deficient and schools have faced a shortage of resources. Schools are short on staff and lack books, supplies and substantial maintenance. Prior to the economic crisis, the government did not respond to the need for reform and, according to the World Bank, spent less than $0.40 per pupil per year, according to the UNESCO Courier. Other problems with the system include the inability of the poor to afford the basic nine years of education, negative institutional incentives that impede the efficient and equitable distribution of educational goods; and a public post-basic education system unresponsive to the rapidly changing demands of the labor market.
The 1997 economic crisis caused a serious crisis in education. The combination of reduced public funding for education, higher prices of schooling, and lower family incomes resulted in an increased dropout rate, particularly in urban areas and among girls. According to a World Bank study, in 1998-99, dropout rates in primary schools rose 3.1 % and in junior high rose 6.4 %. In Jakarta, female enrolment in junior high dropped by 19 cent for the same year. The unemployment rate in 1999 was around 4.27% or about 6 million people ages 15 and older.
View The World Bank Group, Social Policy and Governance in the East Asia and Pacific Region
View more on the effects of the 1997 economic crisis.
In the aftermath of the economic crisis, the budget allocation for education dropped from around 7% to approximately 5% and priorities shifted elsewhere, forcing the delay of the government's nine-year compulsory education program. Projects, such as the construction of school buildings, were suspended. The education level of Indonesia's population was poor relative to other states in Southeast Asia. For example, in 1997, only 30% of Indonesians ages 25-34 had attained a secondary education, as compared to 50% in Malaysia.
See the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Office of Research and Development Website
Reform
While the economic crisis crippled the education system, it also forced the Indonesian government to implement much needed reforms. To deal with crisis, the government introduced an emergency scholarship system funded by the Asian Development bank (ADB), the World Bank AusAid, ASEM and UNICEF. Over $300 million were given in loans to support a five-year plan providing scholarships to students from poor families and supporting schools which experienced cut backs in funding. The initiative is backed by a government "Stay in School" campaign.
Other recent positive developments include efforts to decentralize the curriculum and spending, making education more responsive to local needs.
However, many challenges remain in reforming Indonesia's educational system. Among the problems that Indonesia currently faces are the low equity of educational opportunity, and the overall low quality and poor management of education offered. There are currently more than 6 million children, ages 7 to 15, out of school. Further, gaps in the quality of education exist between different regions, in particular between the eastern and western regions of Indonesia, between rural and urban areas, and between the educational opportunities afforded to male and female students. In a September 2001 study, Indonesia's education system ranked last among twelve Asian countries.
President Megawati Sukarnoputri has stated that the government plans to allocate 24% of the 2002 development budget to education - the largest percentage ever - for improving the quality of education and facilities throughout the country. According to the five year plan for education, the government's focus until 2004 will be on decentralizing and diversifying the curriculum, reestablishing a national education system based on principles of decentralization, scientific autonomy, and management, and on strengthening the capability and quality of government and community educational institutions to meet global challenges.
See Program Pembangunan Nasional th 2000-2004 - Pembangunan Pendidikan 2000-2004
National Education: Untouched by Reforms
Updated April 2002
|
|
