Letter: Education reform

This refers to an article titled “Indonesia: Hiccups in our higher education?” (The Jakarta Post, Jan. 5, p. 7)

I propose a more basic reform to achieve two goals: Accelerating economic growth and developing our education sector, which, I believe, will meet real national needs, and, to create a climate that is more conducive to pursuing higher standards of life.

We have to redesign the role of government to that of setting and maintaining basic standards and funding. Use funding as an incentive/tool to achieve desired governmental goals. Government has to divest itself of unfruitful bureaucracies that are neither efficient or effective.

Align programs and systems (curriculum and accreditation) with that of well-established developed nations whose accumulated educational histories and experiences have been perfected or are continuously perfected.

Liberalize visa eligibility to enable selected/and targeted educational experts and professionals. When China embraced and set its national course, taking great leaps to get there, an accelerated economic development program, it signed educational, technology and scientific agreements with its long-time foe, the USA. Political and religious ideologies were not allowed to be barriers in their pursuit of modernization.

I personally believe Indonesians can address the educational mess and be a great nation. It will take effort, a system, planning and good and sound thinking.

Practical steps: Assemble a special commission dedicated to reform and modernization, increase the national budget for scholarships and grants to study overseas, immediately reform selected faculties in our universities so that they are able to grow and be excellent in strategic areas of science and technology.

James Waworoendeng
California