Hero of education in remote villages

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Wacana culture of excellence established that Stephen Covey and had spoken President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in early December 2005, can begin the process of national education in Indonesia.

Education, according to the nobel removed from Princeton University, John Nash, to give the highest contribution in the economy of a nation.

In the Republic of Indonesia, education and education workers contribute to the economic growth of Indonesia each of 17 and 19 percent. This figure is far above the contribution of investment that only four percent only.

Related to this, various efforts undertaken by both government and community groups to improve the quality of education, from the making of laws, changes in curriculum, teachers' workshop to standardize
education.

Even for the budget year 2009, the government dare to fulfill the mandate of the constitution allocates 20 percent Revised budget for the education sector, although the way debt should be followed.

At the same time, although many workshops, upgrading and consensus that the funds spent much energy and have held government and community groups to improve the quality of teachers, but not yet visible changes in a positive and significant practices of teaching in schools.

The main weakness of the workshop, upgrading, this is the consensus approach "top-down" that often ignore the reality of schools and teachers in the methodology that does not involve teachers as active participants.

"The government has organized training, but only the general nature only. Some instructors present lectures and love after it is finished," said Sugimun (40), a teacher I Lumbis University, Nunukan, East Kalimantan.

In addition, he said, time is also too short and there is no simulation-simulation of the actual needs of the teachers.

Sugimun with 45 teachers and principals from 18 elementary and five junior high school located in remote areas in Nunukan district, Bulungan, Tana Tidung and Malinau, East Kalimantan, the training program, the professionalism of teachers and principals in Tarakan, East Kalimantan, has not been this long.

Program activities are held Tanoto Foundation, a non-profit organization founded Sukanto Tanoto family is designed to consider the educational background and experience of real teachers with all the resources and obstacles
on the local level.

"We need a program of comprehensive and holistic approach that can empower teachers to the development of professionalism for themselves," said Prof. Dr. Anita Lie, one of the instructors in the training.

Results from the process of reflection and evaluation later this can be a valuable input for the preparation of materials and learning strategies that are effective and fully implemented in schools.

In the next stage, the teachers in remote areas that have been successfully make positive changes in the class are expected to become agents of change and bring the "multiplier effect" for other teachers in surrounding areas.

It is expected that the "best practices" which also summarizes the success of real berlatarbelakang resources and obstacles in the local level which can be documented and used as a reference for the development of a sustainable teacher professionalism.


KTSP

One of the material that became the focus of the training is how to prepare Curriculum Education Unit (KTSP), who has outlined the Ministry of Education since 2007.

Implementation KTSP teachers can have the competence to develop a curriculum appropriate to the context of the students in their level of education respectively.

According to Anita Lie, many principals and teachers in remote areas who do not understand about KTSP that the government has outlined it.

In fact, since it was launched a year KTSP and applied, it appears there has not been a significant change in the pattern of teaching in schools, especially to remote areas.

"To know they have not, and how they develop. Therefore, we invite them to try to arrange how the curriculum is prepared," he said.

For the sake of it, more training is filled with simulation-simulation games and quizzes that can be applied to a variety of subjects to stimulate the students know the material or the teacher asked berdemokrasi practices in the class scale.

Many of the simulation is meant to ensure teachers are able to apply the pattern of learning interesting for students and creative in making changes to the practices of teaching in the classroom or in school management.

Concerning the preparation of KTSP, teachers are required to prepare a strategy for the learning field of study options, namely, mathematics and science, or IPS, and language and further down in the implementation of the plan (RPP), based on the school syllabus that they will be conducted after the training.

Marson, a teacher at SDN 017 Sembakung, said that the draft regulations through which each controlled by the head of the school is helping to give the subject matter to students.

"Previously, we only teach the material taken from books alone. Now teachers are required to prepare the draft regulations. Thus, there are guidelines that we can use," he said.

Postgraduate training, teaching programs that have been developed each teacher should be implemented in each school during the period September 2008 to January 2009.

"Later in the second phase we will make visits to schools and the training is to monitor whether the draft regulations, which they carried out this time or not," said Anita Lie.

Next on the final stage of the program, the trainee teachers' professionalism will evaluate each other and share experiences on the various programs they have to do it.

The message is emphasized that want to be in remote areas is not the obstacle for some teachers to develop a variety of techniques to teach students with a pattern of interesting and attractive students dibangku school.

In addition, the "hero without the services" from remote areas who have obtained and the empowerment of the supply is expected to be agensia-agensia changes effective for the same community.