[wanita-muslimah] Indonesian Teachers Score Low on Competency Test: Big Surprise?

 

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Indonesian Teachers Score Low on Competency Test: Big Surprise?
Natasia Christy Wahyuni | March 19, 2012

From charges of setting an irrelevant curriculum to corruption allegations, wide-scale cheating in the national exams and substandard facilities, Indonesia's national education system has long been a target of criticism.

Now a competency test carried out on teachers across the country shows they scored a paltry average of 42 out of 100.

Education and Culture Minister Muhammad Nuh announced the results of the competency tests on Friday, but did not specify how many teachers failed the test. The competency test was given to 98.3 percent of the country's 285,884 registered teachers.

"The average score was poor, but on one hand I am happy with the plethora of poor results because it means the data is reliable," Nuh said. "If the average result was higher, I would have doubts about the accuracy of the figure."

He added that results revealed that training and development of teachers should be intensified since the quality of education is linked to that of educators.

New teachers are required to take the competency test as part of their training and development program (PLPG) before they can receive a tenured position or be certified. The PLPG is run by private teacher-training institutes (LPTK). Nuh said the result of the test was not a reflection solely of a teacher's capabilities, but also of the LPTK's competencies. "We may need to consider taking action against LPTKs if too many teachers fail," he said.

The competency test became mandatory this year, and those who failed will undergo remedial training in May and June.

The results of the competency tests showed that teachers in Yogyakarta posted the highest average score, followed by teachers in Jakarta, Bali, East Java and Central Java. Teachers in Maluku scored the lowest.

"We will study the results to determine whether there is a correlation between these results and the pass rates for the national examinations in each province," Nuh said.

In last year's national exams, Jakarta posted poor results with almost 30 percent of junior high students failing. The failure rate was up from less that 5 percent the year before.

Jakarta education officials highlighted the possible issue of teacher competency as a factor for the poor result.

However, critics say national exams breed a culture where teachers and students are focused solely on passing the exams. This has led to the practice of cheating, and leaking of exam papers.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has previously blamed underperforming teachers for the shortcomings of the national education system.

"I'd like to give you a snapshot of the education system in the country," he said in December at an event to mark the 66th National Teachers Day. "There has been a lot of progress, but there is also still a lot that we need to improve upon."

Yudhoyono said the first thing that needed to be fixed was teachers' performance, pointing out that while more were getting certified, there continued to be complaints from the public about their capabilities. "From what I've heard, teachers' performances have not improved along with everything else," he said.

He also called on teachers to manage their students and schools more conscientiously and responsibly, which he said would have the added benefit of helping mold the children's character.

"Throughout primary school, junior high and senior high, there were two subjects that I always loved: math and Indonesian language," he said. "It was math that helped propel my career in the military, and it was all because I was inspired by the teachers who taught math and Indonesian."

He stressed that with the education budget this year set at Rp 267 trillion ($29.4 billion), and expected to rise to Rp 287 trillion in 2012, there was no reason for a lack of improvement in the national education system.

Additional reporting from Suara Pembaruan and Arientha Primanita

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