Jokowi’s second year: Education needs further improvement

Jokowi’s second year: Education needs further improvement

News Desk
The Jakarta Post

Jakarta | October 19, 2016 | 07:56 pm


Two years of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla administration has shown positive improvements in the education sector, an education expert said Wednesday.

Totok Amin Soefijanto, deputy rector for academic affairs at Paramadina University, said the government had done well in paying more attention to schooling in remote areas.

“The Jokowi-JK administration has made breakthroughs by giving better access to education in less developed, remote and peripheral areas. Many children in remote areas can now go to school,” he told The Jakarta Post, adding that it was in line with the government’s nine-point Nawacita vision on developing Indonesia from its borders.

The government has also engaged parents in their children’s education by requiring them to accompany their children on their first day at school, thereby strengthening family ties, he said.

In terms of teacher professionalism, Totok said, the Jokowi-Kalla administration had taken the initiative to conduct competency assessments and professional development programs for teachers.

The Teacher and Lecturer Law stipulates that a professional teacher must have both certification and a bachelor’s degree. In fact, only about 3 million teachers had either, he said.

“The government has taken care of this issue and is keeping the learning process going in Indonesian schools. At the same time, the Education Ministry continues to improve teacher professionalism,” he explained.

Despite the positive side, Totok said many teachers had difficulty building a student’s character.

“For instance, a teacher often asks students to be prompt while in fact he often comes late,” he said, arguing that teachers who wanted to teach values must practice those values. (win/dan)