Since a few weeks I am a member of your Qualifications Platform and I have seen a number of interesting posts, for which many thanks. In the past twelve years I have been involved in qualification development in various countries. In this blog I would like to contribute with some experiences in Indonesia. Although not an ETF partner country, Indonesia is a transition country with a large informal economy and a growing formal economy. In this sense experiences with qualification systems and skills development in this emerging economy can be of interest to ETF and its partner countries, and vice versa.
In January this year the Indonesian government formally adopted the National Qualification Framework Indonesia: Kerangka Kualifikasi Nasional Indonesia (KKNI) by means of a Presidential Decree, after a long preparation process which was executed mainly on central governmental level.
The government has great ambitions with KKNI. Primarily it wants to improve the quality of human resources. Ultimate goal is to reduce the number of unemployed graduates which is one of the big problems in Indonesia. It is hard to find a job for graduates of all educational sectors, from vocational schools to universities. Partly this is caused by a mismatch between supply and demand. Another factor is the academic character of vocational qualifications and the lack of cooperation between schools and companies. But a main factor is that less than 40% of the Indonesian workforce finds work in the formal economy, therefore many of the graduates end up in the informal sector.
Over the last decade the Indonesian government has invested a lot to improve the quality of education and training by a combined centralization / decentralization policy. At central level the government sets standards about curriculum, competence, administration, financing, equipment, teaching staff, assessment standards. Within these boundaries schools are encouraged and facilitated to develop curricula and cooperate with local stakeholders such as companies to prepare their students for global competitiveness. I work with a number of schools and companies in Indonesia and have noticed first hand the large differences in the quality of education and training between schools / training centers.
KKNI has nine levels with level descriptors, is based on learning outcomes and will cover formal education, non-formal training and recognition of work experience by ‘certificate of competence’. The implementation of the KKNI will take some years to adapt curricula towards learning outcomes and organize support among stakeholders. A coordinating agency has not yet been installed but a website gives answers to FAQ. The formal adoption of KKNI has not yet led to lively debate in Indonesian schools, training centers and companies.
Can KKNI enhance education reform in Indonesia or will it remain a paper tiger?
For more information see:
http://www.unpad.ac.id/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Perpres-Kerangka-Kualifikasi-Nasional-Indonesia.pdf (formal document)
Mirjam de Jong
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