No developing country has reached industrialized status without educational reforms.It is safe to say that a country’s education system is one of the most important drivers which determines a nation’s evolution from third world to first world status. If we look at neighboring countries, Singapore and Malaysia, and their journey to create modern economies, we will see a strong commonality in that their leaders had an overriding priority on educational system enhancement.

When Singapore gained sovereignty in 1965, it was left with the task of fending for itself as a small city-state. Because Singapore lacked natural resources, the development of the country’s human resources was of paramount importance. From a survival-driven education system until 1978 to an ability-driven system, to its knowledge-based economy at present, a single red thread linking decades of reforms was the aim of achieving international standards among teachers for enhancing student achievement. (Source: "The Development of Education in Singapore since 1965", Goh and Gopinathan).

The same goes for Malaysia. If asked what he would do to develop Malaysia if he were still the Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad would answer: change the education system. Implement the compulsory use of English in all schools, practice-driven learning styles for critical thinking and practical skills, and integrate the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning.(Source: Dialogue, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad with Malaysian Women Entrepreneurs, May 2009)

Indonesia needs this type of visionary focus to improve its education system. How productive Indonesia’s economy is depends on the quality of graduates its education system produces, and that comes back to the quality of the system’s educators. The ideal teacher prepared for the modern globalized world must possess at least three critical skill sets: the understanding of international perspectives and cross-cultural differences, up-to-date teaching methods enhanced with leading edge technology, and the ability to develop leadership and critical thinking in students.These perspectives have been included in the design and development of curriculum in the new Putera Sampoerna School of Education (SSE).

A review of the present state shows that among the 2.7 million teachers in Indonesia, only 210,450 are certified teachers, and more than 40% of them graduated with only a high school qualification. Command of both computing and English language skills is poor. Shortage of teachers is expected to be more than 640,000 up till 2012. (Source: 2008 Evaluation Report of Directorate General of Educator and Educator Quality Improvement or Laporan Direktorat Jenderal Peningkatan Mutu Pendidik dan Tenaga Kependidikan)

It is therefore imperative and timely that the new SSE will start a wave of restructuring and reformations in the teaching profession. It aims to not only increase teaching quality standards, but also to increase the number of quality teachers across Indonesia. The program which will eventually be open to teachers or teachers-to-be, emphasizes the essential skill sets noted earlier. From using English and Bahasa Indonesia as complimentary mediums of teaching, to having state of the art ICT and language laboratories, and for delivering world-class content by partnering some of world’s leading education institutions, the SSE will offer the best content and infrastructure with the purpose of creating a new generation of teachers in Indonesia.

More Success Story:

Creating Indonesia's New Generation of Teachers