Education Not Yet Optimal

Name: Education Not Yet Optimal
Uploaded: 2018-04-30T04:35:52Z
Duration: 20 min 32 s
Description: The efforts to improve teachers’ welfare through professional allowances have not been accompanied by achieving quality standards in primary and secondary education.

The efforts to improve teachers’ welfare through professional allowances have not been accompanied by achieving quality standards in primary and secondary education.

· 4 minutes read

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The efforts to improve teachers’ welfare through professional allowances have not been accompanied by achieving quality standards in primary and secondary education. Knowledge transfers and teaching competence have not been optimal as a result of minimal teacher training programs, a constantly changing curriculum and an increase in administrative tasks for teachers. Consequently, improvements in teachers’ welfare have provided no significant added value to education quality.

Nuraini Khalid at Papua’s SMPN 1 Jayapura middle school obtained her teaching certificate three years ago. The English-language teacher is eligible for a monthly professional allowance of Rp 4 million (US$288), which equals her salary. She earns more than Rp 10 million a month.

However, because of limited facilities and technical guidance, her professional development has reached a standstill. The lack of a language lab with multimedia facilities at the school makes it difficult for her to measure her students’ English reading and listening comprehension skills. “My school doesn’t have such facilities, or technical guidance for teachers,” Nuraini said on Friday (27/4/2018).

The 2013 Curriculum requires comprehensive learning facilities and creative teachers to encourage their students to apply logical thinking skills. Nuraini and her colleagues in Jayapura are still using conventional methods in which teachers serve as the main source of knowledge in classrooms.

Caroline Mindo, 49, a biology teacher at SMAN 4 Depok high school, said that administrative work often got in the way of her fulfilling the 40 hours of teaching required per week. This weekly teaching requirement is split into five tasks: activity plans, classroom teaching, student assessment, student guidance and additional tasks such as extracurricular activities or serving as academic counselors.

Caroline is required to assess the development and behavior of each of her students. She teaches 12 classes. If one class has an average 40 students, it is easy to imagine just how many students she must observe individually.

A certified teacher since 2007, Caroline is also required to improve her skills and competence in her various duties. However, her training hours often conflict with her teaching hours.

Resti Winarni, 35, who teaches first grade at SDN 1 Palapa elementary school in Bandar Lampung, said that the student assessment criteria in the 2013 Curriculum were more rigorous than previous curriculums. Apart from giving quantitative scores, teachers were also required to analyze their students’ abilities qualitatively. The qualitative assessment is included in report cards. The previous curriculum, launched in 2006 and called the School-Based Curriculum (KTSP), did not carry this requirement. The 2013 Curriculum also implements thematic lesson plans that combine several subjects, such as Indonesian Language with Civic Education and Arts and Culture.

Resti was often confused about how to implement the curriculum standards, especially in assessing student achievements.

Eka Nilam Sari, 52, who teaches at SMAN 3 Medan high school in North Sumatra, said she received the professional allowance for eight years, but had never undertaken any training to improve her competence.

Teachers hope to obtain relevant trainings to improve their competence. The lowest score of the 2015 Teacher’s Competence Exam (UKG) was 39.48 out of a possible 100 points. The teachers’ professional and pedagogic competences are equally worrying. For instance, the average UKG score for the Indonesian Language was 40.55. After the Culture and Education Ministry issued the professional development module for teachers, the score increased to 64.8.

Observing generations

Heru Purnomo, who teaches at SMPN 106 Ciracas high school in East Jakarta and serves as secretary-general of the Federation of Indonesian Teachers Associations (FSGI), said the nation’s teachers were divided into several generations. Generation-X teachers were born before 1980 and were approaching retirement age. Meanwhile, generation-Y teachers were born after 1980 and were still trying to find their voice and develop their careers.

Which generation did the government have in mind when planning its teacher trainings? The government must consider that most generation-X teachers would soon retire. “It may be more effective to empower the younger teachers through technical guidance,” said Heru.

Rielfesto Is Durin, an Indonesian Language teacher at North Jakarta’s SMKN 36 Cilincing vocational high school, said the government must be consistent in planning and implementing its curriculums. It must actively implement its plan for an entire year, instead of delegating all teaching responsibilities to teachers on the pretext that they were receiving certification allowance.

National Education Standards Agency (BSNP) chair Bambang Suryadi said the country had standardized education based on eight national standards: graduate competence, content, process, educators and education professionals, infrastructure, management, education funding and education assessment.

Thus far, infrastructure, along with educators and education professionals, were the two standards that lagged behind the others. “The strengthening of these two standards, especially educators, can help achieve the other standards,” said Bambang.

(ELN/NDE/FLO/ILO/BKY/VIO/MDN/NSA/JAL)

Editor:

Education profession