Reports
New Developments and Roles of Community Learning Centers in Indonesia: Focusing on the Participants of Equivalency Education Programs
2023 Volume 32 Issue 1 Pages 131-151
Details
2023 Volume 32 Issue 1 Pages 131-151
Indonesia has a population of over 270 million people, divided into over 1,300 distinct ethnic groups, and approximately 750 native languages. Based on Indonesia National Act No. 20 year 2003 about National Education System, it is said that there are three kinds of education channel: formal education, nonformal education and informal education. Equivalency education is a nonformal education providing the opportunity for people, especially the youth who dropped out of school: primary school, Junior Secondary School, and Senior Secondary School.
A Community Learning Center (CLC) is a local educational institution, usually set up and managed by local communities to provide various learning opportunities with the support of the government, NGOs, and the private sector. After International Commitment to Education for All (EFA) in 1990, CLCs grow and develop in South-East Asian countries, especially to reach the unreached and serve marginalized community.
This study aims to clarify the reasons why out-of-school children in Indonesia choose CLC or Pusat Kegiatan Belajar Masyarakat (PKBM) in Indonesian language, by answering the following questions:
(1) Why the participants in Equivalency education programs in PKBM dropout formal school?
(2) What purpose do the participants have in Equivalency education program in PKBM?
Data was collected through fieldwork for two weeks in February 2020 in Province of West Java, in Indonesia. Questionnaires were administered to 138 respondents from 3 PKBM. A total of 46 persons including 4 PKBM participants, staff, and local government staff were interviewed.
The results are as follows: First, the reason why out-of-school children choose PKBM was mainly caused by children's mentality that PKBM is really a school in itself, and parent's lack of understanding of their children's education. Second, PKBM has been polarized into the alternative educational institutions and model school for going on to higher education.
