Abstract
This study explores and analyses the development of technical and vocational education in Indonesia since its Independence (1945) to the last period of the first long term national development plan conducted by the current government (1990). There is a special emphasis on the macro contexts and the policies which have affected development.The study arose from the main research question: How effective has the development of technical and vocational education in Indonesia been since independence? This question is answered by tracing the historical development of and examining current issues concerning technical and vocational education which reveal that technical and vocational education in Indonesia in its current form was affected by two sources of education: internal or traditional education which developed from the pre historic era, and external education which was brought into the archipelago by new comers, both Asian and European. It also reveals that the development of this kind of education has been affected by the interplay of politics, security, and the economy of the country. These three macro contexts independently and in combination affect the aim, the strategy, and the development of the education system under discussion.
The actual issues focused on in this study include private schools, industrial liaison, the school production unit, decentralisation of development, and employment of graduates. Regarding the improvement of compatibility between the educational program and regional needs and conditions, a regionalisation of the development of technical and vocational education with full involvement of regional educators and developers is the recommended option. The problems that are faced by the technical and vocational education system culminate in the lack of employability of the graduates including in those the fields of migrant workers and entrepreneurs.
The government is committed to developing technical and vocational education to provide productive workers for national economic and industrial development. Besides allocating enormous monetary support, improvement in quality is being attempted by implementing a "link and match" strategy by which the educational program is linked and matched to the needs and conditions of the working world. To support this, managerial improvement and research that can provide a better way to approach industries is recommended in this study.
| Date of Award | Jun 1995 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Supervisor | Grant Rodwell (Supervisor) |