We Aim to Restore Teachers as Purveyors of Education
Muhadjir Effendy
The implementation of the five-day school week, which means schools would run from Monday to Friday at eight hours per day, has its pros and cons. According to plans, the policy will come into effect in July, at the start of the 2017-2018 school year.
On the concept of the five-day school week and its implementation, Minister of Education and Culture Muhadjir Effendy gave his explanation in an interview with Kompas in Jakarta, Tuesday (13/6). The following is an excerpt:
What is the essence of the policy on the five-day school week?
This policy is a program of Character Building Education (PPK) at all levels of schooling. It covers not only the subjects being taught in classrooms, but also the activities under the responsibility of the teachers and the schools. In order to implement it, school days that are usually 5 to 6 hours per day are extended to 8 hours. The effective school day, which usually starts at 7 a.m. and runs until 1 p.m., is extended to 3 p.m. The additional two hours are filled with extracurricular activities, including sports, science projects, arts or special-interest classes.
The objective is to develop the potential, talents, interests, abilities, personalities, cooperation and independence of students.
Could you give some examples?
In the school environment, teachers can explore students\' power of reason in the form of more leisurely games. Activities can be carried out not only at school, but also off campus, according to their environment and context. To explore the artistic talents of students, for example, the teachers can take the students to the nearest art center. For teaching tolerance, students can be taken on field trips to the houses of worship of different religions or to [cultural] communities.
Why are teachers the primary focus?
Optimizing the roles of teachers is one of the keys to effective education. So far, teachers have frequently complained of not being able to fulfill their obligation of teaching (face to face) for at least 24 hours a week. This is caused by the fact that school hours and subjects are limited. A number of teachers complained of not receiving the professional allowance. In order to receive the allowance, teachers have to teach at other schools. Such a situation is not healthy. It has to be corrected immediately. Ideally, the teachers\' workload should not be measured merely by the number of face-to-face teaching hours in class.
Guiding students in extracurricular activities also consists a teacher’s duty and responsibility.
The regulation of school days is covered in the Minister of Education and Culture\'s Regulation No. 23 of 2017, which was issued on June 12, 2017. Its implementation will coincide with Government Regulation No. 19 of 2017 on Teachers. Why will they be implemented simultaneously?
The two regulations are mutually supportive and related. They encourage teachers to optimize their roles as civil apparatuses of the state with 37.5 hours per week (or 40 hours per week if leave days are also counted).
We want to restore the existence of teachers as educators, not just someone who teaches in front of a class. Under the PPK program with school hours totaling 40 hours [a week], teachers can optimize their workload, including learning plans, mentoring and supervision.
What about the free Saturdays for students? Wouldn’t that be a danger to student development, if their weekends are filled with unsupervised activities?
This is where the role of parents comes in to educate the children in the family. The two days off on the weekend, from Saturday to Sunday, are really ideal for parents to reinforce the values of togetherness in their families. Parents are certainly becoming increasingly aware of not burdening their children further by pushing them to join various tutoring courses. Schools and parents should continue to be in communication for their children’s development.
Students head home from school, crossing a paddy field in Tingkir, Salatiga, Central Java, Tuesday (23/5). Walking remains the main mode of going to and from school for students across Indonesia, aside from riding a bicycle and taking public transportation.
Costs
What about the consequence of added costs? Wouldn\'t the additional school hours mean adding lunch expenses for students?
Ideally, the consequence of added costs will be borne by local administrations through their regional budget, or the state budget disbursed to the regions.
One promising thing is that the regions appear to be enthusiastic. In 2017, 5,000 schools are targeted as pioneers [of the five-day school week policy]. In actuality, the number of schools expressing their readiness with respect to the proposals from regional administrations has reached9,830. This is beyond expectations, and it means there are many schools which will be capable of implementing the program, spread over a number of provinces and regencies or cities. This proposal is bottom-up, not forced from the top.
Has this policy calculated the impact of its implementation in all regions?
Once again, this policy is not forced. This policy is optional. That means it is only applicable to those schools that are truly ready in terms of human resources and relevant environmental conditions. We are well aware of the disparities among schools and the regions, as well as in their sociological aspects.
Are there those who believe this policy will undermine unique elements of religious education like diniyah, where the students must follow additional lessons in the afternoon?
There is no need to clash. The character building programs can still be synchronized with education possessing such uniqueness. The ulemas who teach can be invited to coordinate in converting the extra afternoon lessons with materials for activities outside class. The ulemas, of course, are already familiar with the concept of learning and evaluation based on the psychomotor competence of students, not simply the cognitive and affective competencies.
Why are you so keen to start this program in July?
Yes, we are taking advantage of the momentum of the new school year. Starting the program at the beginning of a new school year is much easier than starting one in the middle of the school year.
What is the long-term goal of this program?
Subsequently, principals will become good managers without being burdened with teaching duties. Following this, we will align school supervisors. In this way, the method, process and target of quality learning can be optimized.
(ELN/NAR)
