Towards Free Education

Jakarta (Vivanews: 10/12/08) - The focus on free education has a 60 year history. It started with the Article 46 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which stated that everyone has the right to education, and that education ‘‘shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages’’. Half a century later, the World Education Forum (WEF) reiterated that all states should not only fulfill an obligation to offer free and compulsory education, but also provide one of good quality. However, the translation of the ideal into reality has been far from straightforward. Other countries aside, let us focus on Indonesia.
In July 2005, the Government of Indonesia introduced the Free Basic Education policy (FBE). Under this policy, school fees are to be abolished in primary and junior secondary school. An advanced gesture, the FBE serves to achieve two goals: act as a compensation for the subsequent increase in fuel prices, and support the 9 year mandatory basic education program by relieving the poor from education costs.

At that time, school enrolment rates were still low, and high costs prevented many low-income households from obtaining formal education.

There are two types of costs in education: direct and indirect costs. Direct costs comprise mainly of school fees, a one-time registration fee at the beginning of the school year, and a set of monthly fees. Average monthly spending is about Rp. 20,000.- (equivalent to approx. USD 2).- for primary school and Rp. 50,000.- (equivalent to approx. USD 5).- for junior secondary school students. The FBE did not mandate that all schools waive off these fees. Instead, it was an option for schools to waive off school fees in return for a ‘block grant’ as compensation for revenue loss. In addition, direct costs also include travelling and school supplies costs. Altogether, these costs pose a significant burden to low-income households. As in other countries, for education to be free, direct costs should be largely be waived off by the government.

However, as it is, Indonesia ranked the lowest among 47 countries (including more “backward” countries such as Uruguay, Kazakhstan and Laos) in its total education spending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – measuring only at 1.5% of GDP. Although the budget for 2009 has been increased, there is still a loud cry for the involvement of non-profit organizations, international NGOs, individuals and the private sector to lessen the burden of low-income households to achieve ‘education for all’.

The barriers to free education, as gargantuan as they already are, do not stop there. The greater challenge to free education lies in the indirect costs, or the opportunity costs of putting a child into school. Opportunity costs are the forgone wages in the labor market or loss contributions to household activities. For example, the wages a child brings home from working in a factory, or the farm yield from his efforts. For low-income households, this cost is often higher than the costs of school fees and supplies. When the basic survival needs of a household are not met, families need as many pairs of hands possible to make day’s ends’ meet – they do not need brains.

This perception that short-term gains are more important than long-term investment through education of a child must be changed. Although understandable, this perception has created a reality for many low-income households, and worse, a future that is not any better for their children. On this view, the government and other organizations must do more than contribute money and waive off school fees. They must instead, spend time and effort to aggressively propagate a change of mindset among the poorest levels of society, to prevent the perpetuation of a vicious cycle of poverty.

Admittedly, the real solution of lowering opportunity costs to education is in improved economic conditions in the lower-income levels. However, that will take decades to achieve. Furthermore, we cannot expect better economic conditions in this level without first educating its people. There is no way out except through education.

In its 2009 Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report, UNESCO placed Indonesia 71st out of 129 countries surveyed, down from 62nd in 2007 and 58th in 2006. This shows that instead of progressing in enabling education for all, Indonesia has been slipping down the ladder. Because of the existence of high opportunity costs to education in this country, an ‘iron fist’ approach from the top might not necessarily work. Therefore, the challenge for Indonesia is how it will strategize and galvanize effort from all levels of society to approach this issue from a community-based approach.

The change in mindset towards education has to be generated from the top level but transmitted at the grass root level, with trained change agents including community leaders, principals, village heads, teachers, parents and volunteers.

If not, education in Indonesia will never be free, even if monetarily it is.

* Sapto Handoyo Sakti is Sampoerna Foundation’s Communication Director. He was formerly the Senior Manager of Communications and Outreach at a leading international non government organization in Indonesia.He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Communication Management from Massey University, New Zealand.


Source: www.vivanews.com

UNICEF: Children in former Soviet countries missing out on education

UNICEF: Children in former Soviet countries missing out on education
Originally uploaded by nalindes

A new report finds millions of children in Central and Eastern Europe and countries of the former Soviet Union are missing out on education. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warns a large uneducated labour force will hamper economic growth and make these countries less competitive in the global marketplace. Ms. Lisa Schlein reports for Voice of America (VOA) from Geneva, Switzerland, where the report was launched.

The report cites the educational system as one of the big casualties of the transition from communism to capitalism in the countries of the former Soviet Union. It says these countries enjoyed universal education under communism, but that now has changed.

UNICEF reports more than 14 million children across the region are not in school. This includes 2.5 million children who have dropped out of primary school. It says attendance rates in Georgia, Moldova and Tajikistan are so low these countries are unlikely to meet the U.N. Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2014.

Coordinator of the study and UNICEF Regional Education Adviser, Mr. Philippe Testor-Ferry, says children of wealthier, more educated families benefit from the public education system. But, he says the poorer children do not, even though schools in most of these countries are officially free.

"But, a number of educational services that in the past were provided free to the families - school meals, school health, transportation - all these services have been cut down since the transition. And, they actually form a basket of hidden costs," he said.

Mr. Testor says poor families cannot afford these hidden costs. He also notes most schools are built in urban areas where richer people are likely to live and not in the poor rural communities.

UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe, Ms. Maria Calivis says every year more than 14 million children enter the workforce without any formal education. She says this region is second only to the Middle East in terms of youth unemployment.

"The young population is definitely an asset to promote the economy," Ms. Calivis further said. "It is an engine behind also promoting an economy that is trying to compete globally. Rather than on cheap labour, more and more governments are giving priority to have their economies compete on a labour force that is skilled and that has the required competencies."

UNICEF says ethnic minorities, especially Roma children, suffer discrimination in education, as do disabled children. In the lower grades, it says fewer girls than boys go to school. But, throughout the region, it says girls outnumber boys in higher education.

The report urges governments to substantially increase the amount of money they spend on education from the current low of three percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to at least six percent.

Original Report on the Net :

 Feature article
UNICEF report card on education warns millions of children left behind in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)….
A report, “Education for Some, more than Others,” commissioned by the UNICEF Regional Office for CEE/CIS, concluded that, in spite of the economic recovery and increased public expenditure on education in many countries over the past decade, most national education systems were struggling to provide universal education.
www.unicef.org/media/media_40929.html

 UNICEF report “Education for Some, more than Others”
www.unicef.org/media/files/Regional_Education_Study_-.pdf (.PDF File Format, size 4.05 Megabytes)

PHOTO : A Roma boy reads a book in a classroom in ‘Patka,’ Hungary, in 2003. The UNICEF has warned that the collapse of Communism has led to a "catastrophic" decline in access to education and widening inequalities in the former Soviet bloc. Ethnic minorities such as the Roma, and children with physical and mental disabilities, are said to be particularly vulnerable as education services get squeezed. Photo with courtesy of Agence France-Presse.

Indonesia Government hoping to attract teachers to remote areas

Indonesia, Palacio Istana Merdeka.
Originally uploaded by Presidencia de la República del Ecuador

Jakarta (The Jakarta Post: (28/11/07) The government will encourage teachers to take their skills to remote areas in Indonesia by providing them with a number of incentives, a senior education official said Tuesday. "We challenge teachers to educate people in remote areas. The government will provide a special allowance in addition to their monthly pay for teachers willing to do this," said secretary to the director general for quality development of education practitioners at the Education Ministry, Giri Suryatmana.

Giri was speaking at a press conference at the 2007 Indonesian Teachers Conference. The two-day national conference, funded by the Sampoerna Foundation Teachers Institute, the Education Ministry and the Provision Foundation, invited 1,000 teachers from across Indonesia to share their experiences on Tuesday and Wednesday at Balai Kartini in South Jakarta.

Giri told teachers and reporters that "a good teacher is not born but made" and restated the government's commitment to achieving "professional and prosperous educators". "The government will give a higher priority to teachers in remote areas for access to scholarships and teacher development trainings," he continued. There are currently 2.7 million teachers in Indonesia — the largest number in ASEAN — but most of them are concentrated in large cities. Ideally, each teacher should be responsible for teaching only 15 students, but the unequal distribution of teachers in Indonesia has made this impossible to attain.

A mathematics teacher from state senior high school SMAN 7 in Manado, South Sulawesi, Marly Pandelaki, told The Jakarta Post that he was pleased with the government's challenge. "It's about time that the large disparity between central and local education was reduced. I have always thought that the government should devise a policy to ensure teachers are equally distributed in Indonesia," said Marly, who was a finalist in the national best teacher competition in 2004.

He praised the conference, which was first held in 2006, saying that he had gained much from attending the first day. "When you're teaching a subject like mathematics," he said, "there is a need to always improve yourself as a person. The subject is, obviously, boring, so you shouldn't be.

"The committee expected that the conference would help improve the competence and professionalism of Indonesian teachers in the coming years. "We hope that after attending the conference these teachers will have a higher bargaining position in their professions," said Kenneth Cock, the director of the Sampoerna Foundation Teacher Institute.He added that this year's conference explored the correlation between education and the community, with topics such as community-based teacher development programs and educational community development.

Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University in St. Louis
Originally uploaded by jayo128

"The goal before us is education for a greater destiny. Our nation is setting a pattern for the world. Here at our nation's heart the pattern selected by Washington University can thus shape the growth of man."

Arthur Holly Compton, 9th Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis

Indiana University, The Sample Gates

Sample Gates (Indiana University)
Originally uploaded by *Gary*

Indiana has the most beautiful campus in America. 1900 acres of ivy and limestone and flowers. This gate welcomes you into the City from the campus. The bar strip lays just a few meters down Kirkwood

Marian College To Become The Marian University

Saturday, October 20, 2007
Originally uploaded by KimManleyOrt

Marian College is the Catholic College in Indianapolis. We also have the University of Indianapolis, Butler University, Martin University, and IUPUI (Indiana University and Purdue University in Indianapolis).

A small private Catholic college is changing its name as it undergoes a major expansion.

Marian College President Daniel J. Elsener said the 70-year-old school will become The Marian University.

The name change coincides with a $100 million plan to expand the school’s campus on Indianapolis’ northwest side.

Elsener wants to build a new residence hall and athletic facilities, including a stadium for the football team, which now plays its games at a high school.

He said new programs will train students in the ministry, premed, business and social work.

The name change will be phased in over the next 18 months.