OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR PRIMARY EDUCATION IN INDONESIA
8. Conclusions
Schools and professional learning communities work best when they not only process knowledge and learning effectively, but also attend to social and emotional aspects of teaching, learning, caring, and strengthening relationship, community and cosmopolitan identity (Hargreaves, 2003, p. 162). The road from poverty is paved through education. Shortage of teachers, quantitatively as well as qualitatively, status quo of traditional teaching styles are no longer relevant to the learning needs of all students. Traditional schooling is experiencing a credibility crisis as students are dropping out in record numbers and juvenile delinquency is on the rise. To bring fundamental changes in the current practice of education and in the thinking of the practitioners, action is needed at primary, secondary and tertiary
level of education. Since teachers are the most valuable resource available to schools investment in teacher professionalism is vital to ensure that they are equipped with an evidence-based repertoire of pedagogical skills that are demonstrably effective in meeting the developmental and learning needs of all students. Students who are taught by well- trained, energetic and enthusiastic teachers are fortunate indeed. Teachers who teach in very difficult physical and social situations need impetus and encouragement from principals and supervisors. Professional development and on-job training in the best practices of teaching at primary and secondary levels has to be a coordinated effort by supervisors, principals and experienced teachers.
Role of our institutions of higher education should be to continually review the pedagogical practices, and train the pre-service teachers who would ignite the passion and zeal for teaching in order to create intrinsic as well as extrinsic interest in learning.
There is quite a lot to be done at tertiary level to produce quality educational administrators, educational leaders and teachers.
New curriculum in Indonesia will succeed if teachers are trained adequately to comprehend its basic rationale and equipped with necessary resources. Those teachers who are already in the workforce need intensive professional development sessions led by the experts. Teacher training institutes must equip the trainees to handle the new challenges. Opportunity is already knocking at the door and time is ticking away. Some of the ASEAN countries (e.g. Singapore) have demonstrated how to do it. Malaysia is on the way. Indonesia has made impressive progress in the past decade but the task ahead is still enormous. If we think that the cost is unaffordable, then think of the cost of ignoring the most crucial issue the nation faces today: providing the skills to handle the challenges of 21st century.
“Knowledge society belongs to everyone.
All our children should have an opportunity to reach the highest and most creative levels of it. We cannot afford to risk a future in which teachers have prepared pupils neither for the knowledge economy nor for social and moral challenges that lay beyond it (Hargreaves, 1998, p.161).
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