Indonesia Homeschooler Association Supports Perpres" to Strengthen Character Education

Minggu, 10 September 2017 04:28 WIB

Semarang, Central Java, Sep 9 ANTARA JATENG - National coordinator of the Indonesia Homeschooler Association Ellen Kristi remarked here on Saturday that the association supported the issuance of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 87 of 2017 on strengthening character education.

According to Kristi, the association supported the Perpres, as it recognizes the role of a family in the process of building a child`s character.

"Moreover, the Perpres accommodates the concept of education and respects the child`s uniqueness and cultural diversity," Kristi remarked.

She noted that with the issuance of the regulation, the scope of strengthening character education will be more comprehensive and will cover both formal and informal education.

Further, she added that in the context of family- and environment-based informal education systems, the family consciously takes primary responsibility for the child`s education process without having to send him or her to school.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will soon issue the regulation for strengthening character education to replace the controversial one from the Ministry of Education on the adoption of a five-day school week system.

"We have discussed it with the minister of education and culture, and it will be made known after it is completed," President Jokowi said after distributing the education subsidy card called "Kartu Indonesia Pintar" among students of a junior high school in Jember, East Java, recently.

Jokowi said there is no obligation for a school to apply the five-day week system or full-day school system, so those currently following the six-day school system may continue using it.

"I would like to reiterate that no school is obligated to use the five-day school system, but any school that applies it may continue to do as long as there are no complaints," he stated.

Education and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendi said the presidential regulation to strengthen character education will soon be issued, according to which a five-day school system will only be an option and not compulsory.

"It will likely be issued next week. The regulation of the minister of education will be upgraded to a presidential regulation, with some improvements, after taking into account suggestions from various parties," the minister noted.

Effendi echoed the president`s comments that the five-day school system is only an option, so schools that use a six-day system may continue with it and those that have changed to a five-day school system may also carry on with it, so long as doing so does not hinder religious education activities.