EDUCATION IN BRIEF

Indonesian Embassy

Education and Cultural Section

8 Darwin Ave., Yarralumla, Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Ph. (02)62508628 Fax. (02)62733545 E-mail: diknas@bigpond.com

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

  1. Goal of Education; National education is an effort to make the Indonesian people aware of the possibilities to sustain their lives and lifestyles and to continuously develop themselves from one generation to the next. The national education system is to be carried out in a universal (open to every citizen), sound (covering all units, channels, types and levels of education) and consolidated (national education is interconnected with national development) manner.

 

  1. The Education System; The system is organized into formal (in-school) and non-formal (out of school) education, consisting of: basic education, senior secondary education and higher education. Formal education is organized in schools through teaching and learning activities which are gradual, hierarchical, and continuous. Non-formal education is organized outside the formal schooling system. Basic education is compulsory and provides learners with basic knowledge and skills in a nine-year academic cycle -- six years of primary and three years of junior secondary school. Senior secondary education consists of general, vocational, religious, service, and special secondary schooling, while higher education consists of academic and professional education.

 

  1. The Structure of School System in Indonesia; Based on the National Education Law No. 2 of 1989, the structure of school system consists of basic education (normally completed from the age of 7 to 15), secondary education (from the age of 16 to 18), and higher education. Pre-school education is not officially included as part of the national education system.

 

  • Basic education (BE), is a general, compulsory education of nine years, i.e., six years of Primary School (Sekolah Dasar) plus three years of Junior Secondary School (Sekolah Lanjutan Tingkat Pertama). Basic education is aimed at developing students' lives as individuals, members of society and citizens of the nation, as well as preparing them for senior secondary education.
  • Senior Secondary School (Sekolah Menengah Umum) is available to graduates of BE in five different paths of education, i.e., general, vocational, religious, service related, and special senior secondary education. Senior secondary schools gives priority to expanding knowledge and developing students’ skills and preparing them to continue their study to a higher level of education (for General Senior Secondary Schools); specific occupational skills with special emphasis on preparing students for the world of work, (Vocational Senior Secondary Schools); mastery of special religious knowledge of the students (Religious Secondary Schools); the ability to execute tasks as candidates for the civil service (Service Related Senior Secondary Schools); and basic knowledge and skills for the physically and/or mentally disabled students (Special Senior Secondary Schools).
  • Higher Education is an extension of senior secondary education that consists of academic and professional education. Academic education is mainly aimed at mastering science, technology, and research, whereas professional education is more at developing practical skills.

 

 

 

THE NATIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEM IN INDONESIA

EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT

In an effort to improve the quality of human resources, development of the education sector plays an important role and is of high priority in national development as a whole.

 

The Guidelines of national policy underline that education is a cultural process which raises the values and dignity of mankind. Education lasts a lifetime, and its benefits can be felt within the family, the community and the state. Therefore, education is the mutual responsibility of the family, the community and the government.

 

The emphasis of education development in Repelita V (The First Five-Year Development Plan) was on the improvement of quality of every level and type of education without overlooking the expansion of educational opportunity, especially at the junior high school level, in anticipation of a nine-year compulsory education system.

 

National education as a vehicle for the advancement of science and technology is enriched with moral values, culture and humanity to raise the value and dignity of mankind. That is why teaching about Pancasila and religions are continuously carried out in every level and type of education, starting from kindergarten to higher education in public as well as private schools.

 

Since the Indonesian Government’s announcement of its local autonomy policies in 1999, the national education system has undergone many processes of reform. Like many other sectors, education is to be decentralised and more control will rest in the hands of individual schools, communities and local government.

 

EDUCATION PROFILES

Comparison of Indonesian Education Profiles

No

Categories

Year

Primary

School

Junior

Secondary

School

Senior

Secondary

School

Higher

Education

1

Number of Schools & Universities

1945

15,069

322

79

5

 

 

1968

60,023

5,897

2,350

183

 

 

1995

149,954

19,968

11,714

1,305

 

 

2001

170,999

31,086

16,114

 

2

Number of Students

1945

2,523,410

90,365

18,907

1,600

 

 

1968

12,163,495

1,150,000

482,000

156,000

 

 

1995

25,948,574

6,945,433

4,225,823

2,303,460

 

 

2001

28,686,383

9,469,283

5,448,672

 

3

Number of Teachers/Academic

1945

36,287

4,557

1,592

108

 

Staffs

1968

308,657

63,250

36,050

28,200

 

 

1995

1,172,688

412,065

327,407

157,695

 

 

2001

1,289,720

628,252

411,829

 

4

Number of School Graduates

1975

-

362,670

173,315

23,024

 

 

1995

3,575,264

1,740,106

1,145,866

300,330

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

Teachers : Students Ratio

1945

1:70

1:23

1:12

1:15

 

 

1968

1:39

1:18

1:13

1:06

 

 

1995

1:22

1:17

1:13

1:15

 

Number of Students in Schools and Universities per 1 Million Population in 1995

Regions

Junior High

School

Senior High

School

Higher

Education

Total

Population

Jawa Island

34,156

21,316

14,452

114,733,486

Sumatra Island

40,260

23,296

7,579

40,830,334

Kalimantan Island

32,425

18,923

6,983

10,470,843

Sulawesi Island

37,290

22,260

11,052

13,732,449

Other IBT

36,458

21,692

7,410

14,987,696

Percent Participation of Students by Group Ages at Two Different Stages of Indonesian National Development

Level

Before

Repelita

1995

 

 

% Participation

Pop/Group Age *)

% Participation

Pop/Group Age *)

Primary

41.00

17,897

98.58

26,321

Junior High

16.87

6,818

51.51

13,484

Senior High

8.59

5,608

32.56

12,977

Higher Ed.

1.61

9,705

14.74

15,629

*) in thousand

 

 

 

Sources:

  1. Ministry of Education and Culture, Indonesia: Educational Statitistics in Brief 1995/1996, Indonesia, 1997
  2. Ministry of National Education, Primary and Secondary Education in Brief 2001, Indonesia, 2001
  3. Ministry of Information, INDONESIA 1996 : AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK, Indonesia 1995/1996

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