Educational System
Indonesians follow a philosophy of life-long education and participate in many formal and informal programs of education. The National Education system of Indonesia is generally aimed at elevating the intellectual life of the nation and developing the Indonesian people fully.
The government of Indonesia offers a complete program of education through its Ministry of Education and Culture. Which is based on Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. In the Law No. 2 of 1989 about National Education System. Based on this law, the system is identified in terms of units, paths, types, and levels of education.
The Units of Education
The units of education (school or out-of-school) organize learning and teaching activities which are implemented respectively inside and outside the schools.
The Paths of Education
The education system is organized in two different paths, i.e. school and out-of-school education School education is organized in schools through teaching and learning activities which are gradual, hierarchical, and continuous. Out-of-school education is organized outside the formal schooling, which may or may not be hierarchical and continuos, i.e. education in the family.
Types of Education
The system consists of seven types of education, they are:
- General education
- Vocational education
- Special education
- Service-related education
- Religious education
- Academic-oriented education
- Professional education
There are public and private schools. Most Indonesia students go to public school. Indoesian schools are highly academic oriented.
Levels of Education
Formal school system consists of the following levels:
Basic Education
Basic education is a general education of nine years. Six years of primary and three years of junior secondary school. Junior secondary school consists of two different type of education, general and professional. There is also an Islamic Primary School and Islamic General Junior Secondary School called Madrasah, which is managed and run by the Ministry of Religious Affair.
Secondary Education
Secondary education is available to graduates of primary school. The paths of secondary education include general secondary school, vocational secondary school, religiuos secondary school, service related secondary school, and special secondary school. The length of general secondary education is three years and three or four years for vocational education.
Higher Education
Higher education is an extention of secondary education consisting of academic and profesional education.
The length of higher education is three years for diploma program and four years for graduate program. After graduate program students can continue to master program for two years and finally to doctorate program for three years. Higher education is an extention of secondary education consisting of academic and profesional education. The length of higher education is three years for diploma program and four years for graduate program. After graduate program students can continue to master program for two years and finally to doctorate program for three years.
Pre-school Education
Amog the types of pre-school education are Kindergarten at the formal school, provided for children age 5 to 6 years which is for one to two years of education, also Play Groups and Day-care Center at the out-of-school, for children at least 3 years old.
Out-of-School Education
Out-of-School Education may include courses, group learning, or any other option like apprenticeship.
The academic year begins in July and ends in the middle of June.
School days are Monday until Saturday, some until Friday. Classes start at 7.00 am till 13.15 PM with 20 minutes break. Except for Friday from 7.00 am till 11.00. For some moslem school, 6 days a week, Saturday to Thursday, Friday off. There are 8 periods in one day, each period is 45 minutes long. Some schools sometimes have afternoon sessions instead of morning.
Holiday Schedule
In each academic year there are 3 holidays, a one week holiday at the end of October (1st quartile), a one week holiday on February (2nd quartile), and a four weeks holiday at the end of the 3rd quartile, from the middle of June until the end of July.
Required school attendance 75% of school days in a year
CURRICULUM
In the first year of high school, students are expected to take general courses. Based on the first year academic reports and student’s interest, student can choose one major program out of two major programs. Once a student takes one certain major, he/she has to take all required courses available in that major.
The two major programs are: IPA majors in Science and Math, thus IPS, which majors in Social Studies. Some school also have Language Studies.
1. Program title : Science Program
Compulsary subjects:
- Religion
- Civics
- Indonesian Language
- National Ideology (Pancasila)
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- English
Elective Subjects
Sport and Health Education
Optional courses
2.Program title : Social Program
Compulsary subjects:
- Religion
- Civics
- National and World History
- Indonesian Language
- National Ideology (Pancasila)
- Mathematics
- Accounting
- Sociology and Anthropology
- English
- Economics
- Second Foreign Language (French, Deutch, German, Japanese, Arabic, etc.)
Elective subjects
Sport and Health Education
Optional courses : computer, typing, cooking, etc.
Vocational High School
Has its own school curriculum according to its subjects specialities.
Extra Curriculer Activities
Students are expected to take extra curricular activities at his/her school.
Some of them are :
music lesson
dancing lesson
vocal group
scounting
painting
outdoor activities (mountaineering, hiking, etc.)
choir
science club
handicraft
Youth Red Cross
marching band
Grading System
10 – 9 = the highest mark, outstanding
8 = excellent
7 = good
6 = fair
5 – 4 = poor
3 = the lowest mark, fail
The style of teaching in Indonesia is generally lecture.
Wearing a uniform is a must, which is usually purchased by the host family. School regulations specify that men have short hair and may not wear earrings. Women’s’ hair length is not regulated as long as they are neat, but they are not to wear make-up.