Improving Literacy Education in Indonesia

Saturday, 19th April 2015
Improving Literacy Education in Indonesia
Arranged by Syarifah Khuraesin
1413132055

Literacy is essential for human development. The power of literacy lies in an individual’s capacity to put those skills to work in shaping the course of his or her own life. Despite the literacy is essential, but the literacy rate of Indonesian students is comparatively low. PIRLS and PISA report that creativity in writing journal articles and textbooks in academicians Indonesia is weak (Alwasilah, 2012).It shows the failure of language and literacy educationin Indonesia. Thus, literacy education should be improved in order to make Indonesia students being literate. There are three steps that can be done to improve literacy education in Indonesia: by providing professional teachers, redesign the curriculum, and redefine the current language policy.

First step is by providing professional teachers because they are the spearhead of literacy. The steps of professional teachers include of professional commitment, ethical commitment, analytical and reflective strategy, the self-efficacy, knowledge of the field of study, and literacy and numeracySkills (Cole and Chan, 1994 cited by Setiadi, 2010). Qualification teachers of school in Indonesia are sufficient. However, they do not acquired sufficient training in managing classroom activities. Hence, teachers need additional training to improve their performance. In other words, to constructing nation's literacy must be preceded by constructing professional teacher. Which professional teachers only produced by a professional teacher education institutions as well.

Second step is by redesign the curriculum. The curriculum can be redesigned through several ways. One of them is by applying ethnopedagogy and local wisdom education in the curriculum.Ethnopedagogy defined as activity of cross-cultural teaching. Ethnopedagogy should be applied from kindergarten to college, of course with different strategies and implementations. While local wisdom education is taught in primary and secondary education. The goal of ethnopedagogy based on local wisdom is to inculcate values, attitudes, and skills so that students can role optimally as citizens.

The last step is by redefine the current language policy. Globalization has been established English as a language of international communication and as a language of science and technology. In Indonesia, English has been used as one criteria even the main criteria of RSBI. Moreover, the existence of the study of foreign language education, especially English has strengthen professionalism EFL. As a consequence of globalization, it has led to imperialism and marginalize local language. For these reasons, we need to redefine the current language policy by culture revitalization, especially local and Indonesian literature in the context of language policy both nationally and comprehensively.

In conclusion, as mentioned before, we need to improve our literacy education bythree steps: providing professional teachers, redesign the curriculum, and redefine the current language policy,so that literacy education in Indonesia can be improved (included the literacy rate of Indonesia students). Then, as the function dimension of literacy, when students became literate students, they will have ability to achieve their destination in life. In addition, at advance stage, literacy will supply them with ability to produce and reproduce science too. Finally, Indonesia can be a modern country that can compete with other country.

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