Jakarta, September 2009 – Smarter Indonesians will have better livelihoods, more resilience to crisis, and less susceptibility to twisted violent ideologies of terrorism. Better educated Indonesians will also allow the poor Indonesians to have dreams and hopes to have better lives (and afterlives) within their lifetimes. Key: access to affordable and improved education system. Can we do it?
In the enrollment year of 2004/5, more than 50 million students enrolled in more than 270,000 schools in the country, almost 60 percent of which are in preschool and primary education levels. In 2005, enrollment rates were 93 percent, 75 percent, and 42 percent in primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary levels respectively. But access and quality differ from one region to another (The World Bank).
Indeed, Indonesia has increased its spending on education recently, making it on par with most other developing countries in terms of its percentage of government spending. In 2006, public expenditure for education was close to Rp 80 trillion (about US$8 billion) per year with continuous upward trends in the years that follow. But compared to some neighboring countries, this expenditure is still considered low. According to the data cited by the World Bank, Public expenditure on education compared to total public expenditure was 14.2, compared to 16 percent in the Philippines, and 27 percent in Malaysia and Thailand. Similarly, public expenditure on education compared to gross domestic product (GDP) was a mere 2.8 percent, compared to the Philippines (3.1 percent), Thailand (4.6 percent), let alone Malaysia (8.1 percent) (The World Bank).
On a per student basis, Indonesia is among the lowest in allocating government budget to education. For primary level, Indonesia spends $110 per student per year, compared to $396 in India, $491 in the Philippines, $1,897 in Malaysia, or $4,294 in the rich countries. For secondary level, Indonesia spends $315 per student per year, compared to $452 in the Philippines, $712 in India, $2,923 in Malaysia, or $7,002 in the rich countries (The World Bank).
This may explain the different characteristics of economic development between that of Indonesia and its neighboring countries. Reportedly, it is very difficult to fill semi-skill- and skill-intensive job openings in Indonesia even when the unemployment rate is still high. Moreover, the constitutional target of allocating public spending on education (excluding salaries of teachers and the like) at 20 percent is deemed unrealistic.
Worse yet, the quality of government-run schools are rather abysmal. Many have turned to private schools for alternatives. But here, too, the options are also limited. The choices are either low-quality private schools (sometimes even of lower quality compared to the state-run ones), religion-based private schools (with mixed quality, sometimes poor sometimes so-so), or very good but very expensive international schools.
The number above shows that it is difficult to rely on the government to increase access to and quality of education for the Indonesian poor. Outside the government, a number of initiatives have also been carried out. The World Bank has poured $830 million towards supporting the National Education’s Strategic Plan (World Bank). The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) poured $157 million under the Presidential Education Initiative. This initiative has reportedly helped 1,272 schools, 21,069 educators, and 345,983 students. By 2010, the initiative is expected to reach 9,000 schools (USAID). The Australia – Indonesia Basic Education Program aims to raise the rates of enrollment in junior secondary schools from 75 percent to 95 percent by 2010 (DFAT)
Corporate funding has also been poured. Coca-Cola Foundation assisted through its Learning Center Program Initiative while ConocoPhilips and Chevron teamed up with USAID to support USAID’s program. ConocoPhilips accounced the completion of the reconstruction and rehabilitation of 35 public schools and other facilities in Central Jawa and Yogyakarta Provinces destroyed during the earthquake of 2006 (Examiner).
But are these enough? Not yet, I guess. The accessibility, affordability, and quality of the school system in the country remains quite appalling. The quality and availability of good teachers are also of concern. An awful lot needs to be done. What? I am not sure yet. Gimme ideas. But let’s see what I can come up below.
Prioritize on the junior secondary level. It appears that the priorities should be to increase access to junior secondary schools while continue making elementary schools being accessible, affordable, and of reasonable quality. Almost every kid can go to primary school now, with primary education reportedly already close to being universal in Indonesia. But enrollment rates in junior secondary school are low. Ninety-two percent of primary school students graduated, but only 60 percent of them continued on to junior secondary school as reported by USAID. According to the Central Agency for Statistics, only slightly more than half of the Indonesian population older than 10 years old attain junior secondary schools (BPS).
Moreover, the social return to education for junior secondary schools, at 25 percent, is significantly higher than that of primary schools at 4 percent, and only slightly lower than that of senior secondary school of 28 percent. The World Bank reports that allocation of education budget for junior and senior secondary schools are 15 percent each, much lower than 56 percent for primary level. The Australian initiative that I mentioned above targets junior secondary level. But a lot more needs to be done.
Prioritize on the poor. Even when educational facilities exist, the poor may not be able to afford it. This may be the cause of the low enrollment rates in the junior secondary schools. As such, the 2000 Indonesian Poverty Map (Peta penduduk miskin Indonesia) is very useful. The map shows the poorest regions in Indonesia to the level of the kabupatens (districts). Additionally, there are also pockets of poverty even in rich areas. In Jakarta, for example, where in general it is a rich region, there are pockets of poor slums for which citizens education is unreachable.
Increase educational quality, including the quality of the teachers. Teachers are key to the education system. Getting high-quality teacher comes at a cost, obviously. These teachers need to be well-trained, and they need to be well-paid. It is unfortunate, however, that teachers in Indonesia are very underpaid. Moreover, corruption in this sector is quite rampant that often the low salaries of the teachers made even lower by “voluntary cuts” to pay many things involuntarily. Often, these cuts are misused.
For more information regarding Indonesian Education: Indonesian Education Network http://www.pendidikan.net/eindex.html.
