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Chapter 2 Current stage of implementation
2.1 Indonesian Qualification Framework
As the largest economy in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is also the largest market in the region, making it vulnerable to the potentially uncontrollable influx of foreign workers eager to capitalize on the large
employment opportunities. In order to cope with the challenges, immediate actions have to be taken. In the short term, Indonesia needs to establish a National Qualifications Framework NQF and implement
it as government policy. In the long run, Indonesia has to improve the quality of its human resources through the implementation of the qualifications framework.
In 2012 the Presidential Decree 82012 on the Indonesian Qualification Framework IQF was enacted. The Presidential Decree stipulatesa hierarchy of 9 levels of learning outcomes to enable equivalencingof
the outcomes of formal education, non-formal education, and informal learning or work experiences. The Presidential Decree 82012 on the Indonesian Qualification Framework IQF does not describe
qualifications but allows further stipulations for the IQF is to be governed by the ‘minister handling labor issues and the minister in charge of education affairs’.
The notion of equivalence as illustrated in Figure-1 [DGHE 2012] indicates that the IQF serves as a reference for understanding the complexity of recognized competences in the job structure in all
sectors. It also becomes the fundamental reference for defining the competence of graduates of academic, vocational, and professional education against the different levels. The levels of the IQF are
described as learning outcomes, consisting of i values, ethics, moral as basic components; ii science, knowledge, or knowhow comprehension; iii work competencies; and iv level of autonomy and
responsibility in the work place [DGHE 2012].
PROFESSION SPECIALIST
VOCATIONAL HIGH
SCHOOL
LEARNING PROGRESS IN SKILLS AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
LEARNING PROGRESS IN
SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT
OCCUPATION OR CAREER UPGRADING BY TRAINING OR THROUGH NON
FORMAL EDUCATION
8 7
6 5
4 3
2 1
9
S3 S2
S1
GENERAL HIGH
SCHOOL
D4 D3
D2 D1
S3 S2
EXPERT
TECHNICIAN ANALYST
OPERATOR
Figure-1: The Indonesian Qualifications Framework IQF [DGHE 2012]
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2.2 Assuring quality in higher education