Indonesia to Achieve Minimum Service Standards in Basic Education
30 November 2017 17:36 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - More than 70 percent of schools and Islamic schools in more than 100 districts in Indonesia are now much closer to meeting the minimum service standards in basic education. Further, about 100 districts have developed roadmaps toward achieving the standards in the next few years. These achievements were reported at the National Stakeholders’ Dialogue organized by the Basic Education Minimum Service Standards – Capacity Development Program (BE MSS Program), held Monday, November 20.
The National Dialogue marked the conclusion of the Program, which was launched in June 2014 by Education and Culture Ministry, funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The event was attended by more than 200 stakeholders, including officials from the Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of National Development Planning, and regency heads from some of the 108 partner districts.
Ministry’s director general for basic and secondary education Hamid Muhammad expressed his appreciation for the support from the EU and ADB to Indonesia’s education sector through this Program.
“In this era of decentralization and regional autonomy, the Program has been successful in aligning and combining the commitments and collaborative effort of multiple stakeholders, toward expanding and ensuring quality and equitable provision of basic education in Indonesia,” Hamid said in a press release received by Tempo on Thursday, November 30.
Hamid hopes the program sets a solid foundation for the continuous improvement of the quality of education for Indonesian youth.
Vincent Guérend, the Ambassador of the European Union for Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, said the EU appreciated the strong commitment of the Government of Indonesia and participating districts in reducing education disparity and ensuring that no child is left behind to receive quality basic education services. In this framework, he added, one of the key achievements is the inclusion of the MSS concepts as a strategy into the education strategic planning (RENSTRA 2015-2019).
“The Program reflects the government’s commendable efforts in providing quality basic education to all Indonesian children, and it serves as a critical policy tool for strengthening governance, and equity-based service provision,” said Winfried Wicklein, ADB Country Director Indonesia.
With 27 indicators, the BE MSS provides benchmarks to district governments and promotes effective planning and prioritization processes, toward more strategic, equitable and accountable resource utilization.
The National Dialogue featured six regency heads presenting lessons learned and innovative practice in achieving MSS in basic education and improving teaching learning quality in schools and madrasahs. It showcased basic education modules that can be used by other local governments, and these modules will continue to be accessible in the Ministry’s website.(*)
