KUIS IPA

FREE EDUCATION DO NOT MAKE THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION CRISIS

By: Siti Chotijah, S.Pd

(The teacher of Elementary School 01 Suruh, Tasikmadu, Karanganyar)

FREE EDUCATION POLICY

The development of science and technology has brought big changes in virtually every aspect of human life where the problems can only be solved unless the effort to control and improvement of science and technology. Besides beneficial to human life, on the one hand, these changes have also brought humans into the era of global competition increasingly as the result of globalization itself and open competition among the countries in through out the world.

The Future of the economical and social life  is not fully determined  by the availability of natural resources and a large population, but it's rather than determined by the quality of the population that can control and use technology to improve their own standard living. The Nations that are not dominated and exploited advances in science and technology will be run over and dragged in a technocratic society. Technocratic society or future industrial society is a "society that can dominate and exploit advances in science and technology in managing and developing the community". Acquisition, development, and utilization of science and technology are a process of education. The existence of improvement efforts  of education is one form of development in Indonesia.

The development is aimed to develop qualified human resources and economic sector where it can create interrelated one to another simultaneously. National Education of Indonesia basically aims to improve the quality of Indonesian human being, both physically and intellectually, so they can achieve the self-development and the environment in the context of national development. 

The Qualified peoples have clearly attached in the Indonesian National Education Goals on the regulation No. 20 of 2003 about National Education System Chapter II Article 3 (2003: 7) says : "National education develops the ability and character development and civilized nation in the context of the intellectual life of the nation, aimed at developing the potential students' in order to become a faithed man and devoted to God Almighty, noble, healthy, knowledgeable, capable, creative, independent, and become citizens.

Improving the qualified human resources is a particular challenging for education in the democratic countries and responsible.  In this case the education has a very important role to create the high qualified generation to keep on the life of the nation. According to Sinaram Sham (2009: 1) The role of such education is "preparing students to have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to contribute to the public welfare as active citizens". Government policy on the compulsory education of 9 years (fair 9 years) is the government's efforts in the objectives achievement of the National Education, and the program shows that the government still strongly cares to the education.

Currently In the technology  and communication era are growing rapidly, demanding the institution to responsible of the students preparation to face the outside world in which competition and challenges are tightly faced it. School as the formal education institution is a place for learning process between teachers and students that involves various interrelated elements. These elements include teachers, students, environment, teaching materials, evaluation and learning media.

Teaching and learning itself are done with the goal that the results of the educational process can be beneficial to the students themselves, society, nation and state.

The successful achievement of learning objectives is influenced by several factors; the internal and external factors. One of the external factors is environmental factors either the family, community or schools that can influent physically and non-physically environment. Physical environment such as school building, library, laboratory, field, and others. While the non-physical environment can be a learning atmosphere, physiological conditions, promiscuity, and others,. This makes the school must provide so varied that the implementation of the learning process is really effective and efficient. The condition means the availability of facilities, tools, media, and the right environment to help the teacher easily to deliver the objective material for students so the students can be acceptable the material.

The Basic education of primary and secondary education are a basic underlying education for the next education level of primary school and junior high school that are eligible to receive the attention most. The utilization of the proceeds of this policy is expected to increase the intellectual community and fulfill the right to education and to realize the compulsory education program 9 years.

FREE EDUCATION IN KARANGANYAR REGENCY

"Everyone has the right to get protection for his personal development of education, to educate themselves and improve the quality of life in order to become a faith man, devoted, responsible, noble, happy and prosperous in accordance with human rights". Referring to the provisions of law and basic education programs of the government, the Local Government Karanganyar in order to implement the right of the education by launching a free education program as of in 2014. The implementation of free education in Karanganyar is still in the frame of the Regional Regulation No. 31 2006 on Education. The rules aims to increase the availability and transparency of infrastructure and education opportunities for people in Karanganyar, and it’s as the realization of the local government in implementing the program.

The local government policy with the free education is one of the work programs of the the current elected regent, JULIATMONO and implemented as of in 2014. Then guideline of implementation refers to Karanganyar Regent Circular Letter No. 050/15818/2014 Dated on January 15, 2014 on the budgeting of School Operational aid of  Karanganyar regency. Free education policy is designed to support the successful of central government in terms of free education but not only compulsory the 9 years program, but the local policy is up to 12 years or even Senior High School. The policy is in line with the mission of "Realizing of the Education and Health Care in free" ,

The local Government policy with the free education is used to get free of the  educational expenses such as tuition fee waiver, school fees and extra-curricular activities. The school free program excludes the cost of uniforms, books and shoes. In several months running the Implementation of the free education program in Karanganyar gets handicaps. It’s still found  the levies for the new students, for example; for the poor the cost of uniforms for some students is hard to reach economically. Absolutely it can be one of the obstacles for students in reaching free education. Another obstacle is the wrong perception of parents about free education, they perceive that free education should all in.

SURUH PRIMARY STATE SCHOOL 01 IMPLEMENT THE EDUCATION FREE PROGRAM

The Suruh State Elementary School 01 one of the education organizer unit doesn’t charge to students of school operations at all. The Suruh Elementary state  Shool 01 located in Jetis Subs- District , Tasikmadu is the  main school in the Monitoring area 2 of UPT PUD NFI of all the Tasikmadu Subs-district. The Elementary school has the number of employees as educators and education personnel approximately 30 employees. The school has as 14 classes study groups and parallel class with the number of students around 354 students.

The implementation of free education in our school is very helpful for parents, especially those who are middle to lower segment. The cost of operational schools are funded by the BOS either from the central or local levels. The School Operational Aid is subsided by central government and Local. The aid is given by national and local government every quarter in which it is disbursed by the central government with amount Rp.800.000,00 per student as of fiscal year 2015, meanwhile the School Operational aid disbursed by local governments as much as Rp.100.000,00 per per student/ year.

To the existing Free Education fee,The expectation of  National Education, Elementary School about Character Building, Culture, and the National Competitiveness are not negotiable anymore. Primary education is as an integral part of the educational process in Indonesia is a fundamental expectation in internalized character, culture and the nation's competitiveness. Therefore, the expectations of national education has been outlined through the curriculum at the primary level of education illustrate national attention on character building program, culture and the nation's competitiveness.

In the characters building program of basic education level MI / SD, national education focuses in the achievement of the learners characters, as configurated in  7 characters nation which can be integrated into the thematic learning process as a the reduction result of Spiritual and emotional development),(intellectual development ), (Physical and kinestetic development), and (Affective and Creativity development). which show honesty, discipline, responsibility, manners, caring, and confident in interacting with family, friends, teachers, and neighbors as well as the the Nationalism.

In the development of the national culture, the basic education level MI / SD can be realized in the educational process through the framework of the basic structure of the curriculum MI / SD in which the art and culture are subjected. The Subjects Cultural ,Arts and creation can be delivered in Local Language. The Local Language as a local content can be taught in an integrated manner with the Cultural, Arts and creation of lesson separately or if needed. Education units can add more lessons per week proper with the educational unit.

The mission of education is really the key to improve the mass and complicated problem in education. The point for Indonesia is not only having science, but the moral as well. With the free education, the education program in Karanganyar can be an idol for the other regencies district to become a reference for other Kabupeten district.

Perhaps still many others idea or input  to the Government related to the education particularly. As for me, improving the quality of education in Indonesia, especially in Karanganyar area will produce an expectation to upgrade the nation over all. Keep moving education! Keep moving education in Karanganyar to create the tough Human resources.