President Jokowi Calls for Reforms in Education System

President Jokowi in Bogor Presidential Palace to commemorate Youth Pledge on Saturday (28/10). (Photo by: Public Relations Division/Fitri).

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo acknowledges that the country’s education system is trapped in routine and if it were not reformed totally, it would 128 years for the country’s education to be on par with that of developed countries, the President said, quoting a statement from a professor at Harvard University.

The President made statement during the commemoration of the Youth Pledge Day at Bogor Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java, Saturday (28/10).

One of the country’s biggest problems, according to the President, is the country’s geographical condition that consists of around 17,000 islands; hence, it is not easy to connect the Central with the regions, especially in matters related to education. Therefore, the President said one of the fastest ways to address the is by improving applications or systems.

“I think changes will be evident if we are dare to use applications or systems that facilitates the students to study, and I am also glad if our children do not only study in classrooms,” the President said.

President Jokowi cited an example. According to him, primary school students can be taken to offices or banks to understand financial system or to a garment factory to observe how the factory works. The students can also be taken on a field trip to museums to be introduced with history or old artifacts, the President said.

“We’ve been focused on studying in classrooms for a long time. For me, ideally it should be 60:40; 40 percent in the classrooms, 60 percent outside the classroom,” the President said, adding that children must also be faced with real problems and challenges adjusted with their level of education.

“We must not be trapped in routines that have been going on for years. If we are dare to make changes, we’ll be able to face these challenges quickly,” the Present said.

“I think if we can use applications or systems that can reach isolated areas or outermost islands, we’ll quickly have the changes,” the  President concluded.

Joining the President on that occasion were Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Minister of Youth and Sport Imam Nahrawi, Minister of Communication and Informatics Rudiantara, Head of the Creative Economy Agency Triawan Munaf, and Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki. (DNA/FID/ES) (EP/YM/Naster)