OneWorld.net (U.S.)

An Education Development Center (EDC) initiative to decentralize and revitalize Indonesia's schools by improving the quality of teaching has taken root in 535 schools and will ultimately include more than 2,000 schools in the world's fourth most populous country.

The USAID-funded project, Decentralized Basic Education Program Objective 2 (DBE2), is moving schools away from a rote-memorization tradition to a more "interactive approach with students working together on projects," says Michael Calvano, chief of party for the project. "Previously there was very little interaction, innovation or variety," says Calvano. "We completely reverse that process. There's color and variety in the classroom and students display their work. They don't just give back what the teacher gave to them; they think things through and provide their own response."

The multimillion, five-year project, managed by EDC's International Education Systems Division, focuses on helping local districts take on management of schools that were formerly run by the national government. Activities include moving control of teacher training to the local level, early childhood education, resource development, school library development and public-private alliances to strengthen elementary education.

Activities are underway in seven provinces: Central, West, and East Java; South Sulawesi; North Sumatra; Banten; and Aceh. In each district, two clusters of six to ten schools serve as hubs for project tasks and activities. These clusters offer school administrators, teachers, and community participants an opportunity to become engaged in activities that strengthen their professional identity through active and participatory learning. By May 2010, the project will be active in at least 100 districts and 200 clusters, says Calvano.

Additional information available at: http://main.edc.org/newsroom/features/DBE2.asp