Learning Groups in Indonesia
Penmas (Pendidikan Masjarakat), the Directorate of Community Education/ Ministry of Education/ Indonesia, serves as the government’s major organization for out – of – school education; its responsibilities include vocational education, women’s education, community education/ technology development (education related to national development efforts) and fundamental education (particularly, literacy and numeracy). With headquarters in Jakarta, Penmas has a total of about 6.500 staff members throughout Indonesia at each level of the government administrative structure: propinsi (province) – kepala bidang (provincial Penmas Director); kabupaten (district) – kepala seksi (head, Penmas section); kecamatan (sub – district) – penilik (Penmas field worker); and desa (village) – penggerak (Penmas volunteer organizer).
From 1973 – 1975, Penmas, in cooperation with World Education, Inc. (New York), conducted a project designed to develop an effective village – level approach (or approaches) for family life planning education. During the second year of the project, an innovative “model” evolved at one of the five project sites, Lembang, near Bandung in West Java: a network of autonomous learning groups, in which learners assumed major responsibility for what and how they learned. This case study will focus on the development, characteristics, and functioning of these groups.
Questions:
What is the meaning of “learning groups in Indonesia”? Explain and give examples!
What is the meaning of ‘family life planning education”?
What does the text tell about? Explain with your own words!
