Educational in Indonesia: rising to the challenge

Indonesia is one of the major economies of Southeast Asia and the government has set itself ambitious goals for its social and economic development, for which human capital development is crucial. Despite great regional divergences which limit access to quality education for many, Indonesia has made impressive progress on many fronts in the education sector since the 1997-98 Asian crisis such as coverage of basic education. Many challenges remain including expanding enrolment in secondary and tertiary education, increasing quality and relevance and making governance and finance more responsive. This report covers the full range of education from early childhood through to tertiary education, including aspects of non-formal education, across both the system of the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Islamic system of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. It uses information from the Country Background Report prepared by the Education Sector Analytical and Capacity Development Partnership (ACDP) at the request of the Indonesian authorities, as well as information supplied in the course of site visits to Jakarta, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, South Sumatra and West Java. This review offers an in-depth study and recommendations on the structure and scale of provision, student access and inclusion, student progression, teaching and learning, standards and accreditation, financing, and governance of the pre-primary, basic, secondary, vocational and higher education sectors. Other recommendations cover assessment, education and skills formation and the changing labour market, relevance, the transition from education to work, and adult learning. This review of education policy was undertaken within the framework of the programme of work of the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills. Grant financing for the review was provided by the Analytical and Capacity Development Partnership, a facility supported by the Government of Indonesia, the Government of Australia, through Australian Aid, the European Union (EU) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Additional in-kind support was provided by the Care Inspectorate, Scotland and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).