Education System in Indonesia

a. Education System in Indonesia

Based on the data taken from the reviews of national policies for education 2015, p.69, the education system in Indonesia is immense and diverse. It is over 60 million students and almost 4 million teachers in some 340.000 educational institutions, it is the third largest education system in the Asia region and the fourth largest in the world. Two ministries are responsible for managing the education system, with 84 of schools under the Ministry of Education and Culture and the remaining 16 under the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Private schools play an important role. While only 7 of primary schools are private, the share increases to 56 of junior secondary schools and 67 of senior secondary. The new president Joko Widodo appointed a new Minister for Research and Technology and Higher Education, Dr. M. Nasir, in November 2014, with a new ministry for policy and program administration. The president also appointed Dr. Anies Baswedan as Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, served by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Education is an agent of change and an agent of control. It is generally believed that education plays an important role in the process of modernization. Through it, science and technology are evaluated, developed, and passed on to the next generation. Socioculturally, it can also affect internal social status in a lot of communities Saville Troike, 1989: p.87. According to Law No.21989 on the National Education System, the objectives of the national education system were: firstly, to establish a high- quality and self-reliant human being whose values are based on Pancasila. On the basis of the new National Education System Law of July 2003, a national PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI education system should ensure equal opportunity, improvement of quality, relevance, and efficiency in management to meet various challenges in the wake of changes of local, nation, and global lives. In terms of article 1, education means conscious and well-planned effort in creating a learning environment and learning process so that learners will be able to develop their full potential for acquiring spiritual and religious strengths, develop self-control, personality, intelligence, morals, and noble character and skills that one needs for himherself, for the community, for the nation, and for the state.

b. Function of English in Indonesia