Vocational School Curriculum Needs Major Reforms: President Jokowi

President Jokowi leads a Limited Meeting on human resources development, at Bogor Palace, West Java province, Wednesday (21/11). (Photo: Rahmat/PR)

After focusing on infrastructure development in the past 4 years, the Government will now focus on human resources development, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has said.

“We must be able to make 260 million Indonesians a great power of the country to boost economic growth and achieve prosperity,” the President said during a limited cabinet meeting on human resources development at Bogor Palace, West Java, Wednesday (21/11).

According to President Jokowi, there are two keys to develop human resources, namely improving education system and improving skills of Indonesian workers.

Regarding improvements of the education system, President Jokowi said that vocational educations need to be revitalized to meet the needs of industries and to keep up with technological developments. The Government, he said, has been reforming and improving vocational education system in the past 4 years but the results are still not satisfactory yet.

“I have acknowledged reforms we carried out at vocational high schools in both the curriculum and competency management, especially for teachers. However, I would like to see a bigger reform starting next year,” the President said.

Another key to develop human resources, the President added, is by improving workers’ skills through vocational training and certification programs, which are expected to be carried out in a massive scale starting next year.

“For example at Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, workers have been sent to join certification programs. It’s a positive thing although the number of workers taking the certification program is still small, ” the President said, adding that the certification programs need to involve several parties, including the Government, industries, and educational institutions, including Islamic schools so that Islamic students will not only receive religion teachings but other skills as well. (DNA/GUN/RAH/OJI/ES)

Translated by: Estu Widyamurti
Edited by: Muhammad Ersan Pamungkas