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The International Standard School Project in Indonesia: a Policy Document Analysis Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University by Ag Kustulasari, S.Pd. College of Education and Human Ecology The Ohio State University 2009 Thesis Committee: Ann Allen, Advisor Antoinette Errante Copyright by Ag Kustulasari 2009 Abstract The International Standard School project is a new education policy in Indonesia that was enacted with a main goal to prepare the students for global competitiveness. This policy is both an effort to internationalize schools in Indonesia and a part of the national education decentralization reform. The title International Standard School, SBI in Bahasa Indonesia, is given as an accreditation status to schools that have completed the required standards. The use of the terms “international” has drawn a lot of comments and concerns among the public in general. This study is aimed at analyzing the policy documents in seeking for an answer to a thesis question: Is the International Standard School project likely to achieve the intended goal of improving the quality of public education in Indonesia? A set of policy documents was collected and analyzed against literature on international schools and education decentralization. The analysis found that the policy documents lacked of clarity in explaining some critical terms and thus were not likely to help the national schools to achieve the intended goal of the policy. Some other important findings in relation to the use of the term “international”, the impetus of the policy, and the readiness of the system to implement the policy are presented. ii Dedication I dedicate this thesis to my late mother Chatarina M. Juwati; “sembah bekti lan atur panuwun kula, Ibu” iii Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge and extend my heartfelt gratitude to the following persons who have made the completion of this Master’s Thesis possible. First and foremost, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Ann Allen, my academic advisor and my professor for her vital assistance, advice, and support during my two-year Master’s study and research. I am also greatly indebted to Dr. Antoinette Errante for her assistance and encouragement both when I attended her class and during my thesis completion. Words cannot express how grateful I am to have found such a wonderful duo for my thesis committee. This thesis is only one of the doubtlessly exciting academic experiences I have gained through my Master’s study. I thank all of the faculty members in the School of Educational Policy and Leadership at The Ohio State University who have shared their knowledge and expertise in the classes and outside. I surely also have to thank my fellow graduate students who have enriched my learning and living experience through both academically related and non-academically related conversations and activities. Isn’t diversity beautiful? It is indeed an invaluable experience to be able to live and study at The Ohio State University. Therefore, in this perfect moment I would like to greatly thank the foundations that have brought the opportunity to me: the Fulbright Scholarship, the Alpha iv Delta Kappa, and the Delta Kappa Gamma. Special thanks also go to the following individuals for their help with my research and for their companionship: to Bapak Satria Dharma in Indonesia and Tati Durriyah, my house-mate, for their assistance in collecting the policy documents, to my fellow Fulbright friends for their supports, to my family and friends in Indonesia who have accompanied me virtually via the Internet, and last but not least, to Sergio García Guillen, my soul-friend, for the amazing friendship he has offered. v Vita 1997…………………………………SMPN (State Junior High School) 9, Yogyakarta 1999…………………………………Sang Timur Senior High School, Yogyakarta August 2001 – October 2003………..English Instructor at Medita English Course January 2003 – September 2005…….English Instructor at Sanata Dharma University Language Center 2004…………………………………Bachelor in Education, Sanata Dharma University August 2005 – June 2007…………...Lecturer at English Letters Department, Sanata Dharma University October 2005 – June 2007………….Academic Coordinator at Sanata Dharma University Language Institute 2007 – present………………………Master’s student in Educational Administration, The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: Educational Area of Emphasis: Educational Administration vi Table of Contents Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………….. ii Dedication ………………………………………………………………………………. iii Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………………... iv Vita ………………………………………………………………………………..……. vi List of Tables ……………………………………………………………………… …… x List of Figures …………………………………………………………………………... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ………………………………………………………………….. 1 A. Background ……………………………………………………………………… 1 B. Statement of Problem …………………………………………………………..... 2 C. Research Questions ……………………………………………………………… 4 D. Research Framework ……………………………………………………………. 5 E. Significance of Study …………………………………………………………… 5 F. Limitations of Study ……………………………………………………………. 6 Chapter 2: Literature Review……………………………………………………………. 7 vii A. Internationalism of Schools in Indonesia ……………………………………….. 7 B. International Schools …………………………………………………………... 10 C. Decentralization of Education ………………………………………………… 16 D. Decentralization of Education in Indonesia …………………………………… 34 Chapter 3: Research Methodology …………………………………………………….. 45 A. Types and Sources of Data …………………………………………………….. 45 B. Analysis Approach ……………………………………………………………... 48 Chapter 4: Analysis …………………………………………………………………….. 53 A. The International School Perspective on the SBI Project ……………………… 53 B. The Education Decentralization Perspective on the SBI Project ………………. 59 C. Analysis on the Readiness of the Polarities ……………………………………. 67 Chapter 5: Findings and Recommendations …………………………………………… 80 A. Findings ………………………………………………………………………... 80 B. Recommendations ……………………………………………………………… 85 C. Further Questions ………………………………………………………………. 87 References ……………………………………………………………………………… 89 Appendix A: International Schools in Indonesia ………………………………………. 95 viii Appendix B: National-Plus Schools ………………………………………………….. 100 Appendix C: Student Enrollment Rates ………………………………………...…..... 102 Appendix D: Newspaper Articles ……………………………………………………. .105 ix List of Tables Table 1. Functions Distributed in Decentralization …………………………………… 27 Table 2. Cohort of Pupils …………………………………………………………….. 102 Table 3. Trend of Numbers of Dropouts at Primary Schools ………………………… 103 Table 4. Trend of Transition Rate Primary to Junior Secondary School ……………... 103 Table 5. Cohort of Pupils of Junior Secondary School ……………………………….. 103 Table 6. Trend of Number of Dropouts at Junior Secondary School ………………… 104 Table 7. Trend of Transition Rate Junior to Senior Secondary School ………………. 104 x List of Figures Figure 1. Decentralization Polarities …………………………………………………… 50 Figure 2. Analysis Approach ………………………………………………………...… 51 xi Chapter 1: Introduction A. Background In light of a new democratic governance post the military authoritarian regime of Soeharto (Liddle, 2008), and pushed by the proposals for decentralization in the aftermath of the economic crisis in 1997, the Ministry of National Education (MONE) of Indonesia (2003) developed a new vision for the nation’s education reform. The new vision is geared towards “the implementation of the principles of democracy, autonomy, decentralization, and public accountability” (Act of the Republic of Indonesia No. 20, year 2003 on National Education System, p. 1). The rationale of the education reform is further stipulated in the act as follows: A national education system should ensure equal opportunity, improvement of quality and relevance and efficiency in management to meet various challenges of local, national, and global lives; therefore it requires well-planned, well-directed, and sustainable education reform (2003, p. 4). This act refines the principles of education provision and lays the foundation for the government’s initiatives in primary, secondary, and higher education. One of the recently taken initiatives for primary and secondary levels of education is a project called Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional (International Standard School). Initiated approximately three years after the act, the project is based on the following law: The government and local government organize at least a unit of education at all levels of education, to be developed further as a unit having international standards of 1 education (Act of the Republic of Indonesia No. 20, year 2003 on National Education System, pp. 26-27). The goal of this International Standard School (SBI) project, in other words, is the establishment of one class or more in a primary and/or secondary school in each province and/or district that satisfies some international standards. This internationalization of schools in Indonesia is not a novel trend among the private schools, but is indeed new to the public/state-funded schools. In the private sector, there are two types of international schools: international schools and national-plus schools. Most of these schools are found in big cities in Indonesia. International schools are owned and/or funded by foreign foundations that were initially established to serve the children of the expatriates working in Indonesia. National-plus schools are national- based private schools that, in addition to the national curriculum, employ an