The Director of SEAMEO CECCEP participated in a media briefing on November 11, 2023, at the National Library. This event was part of the Policy Forum on Education (PFoE). PFoE is a platform designed by the Tanoto Foundation to encourage multiparty dialogue and collaboration in sharing ideas, experiences, and best practices. Its goal was to address challenges and formulate proposals for education policy in Indonesia. PFoE focused on five major themes: (1) Early Childhood Development and Education, (2) Basic Education, (3) Leadership/Higher Education, (4) Digital Transformation, and (5) Education Policies.
During the media briefing session, several speakers were present, including Hanna Raisya, an Education Policy Analyst and Consultant at the Center for Education and Policy Studies, Ulfah Alifia, Head of Research Department at the SMERU Institute, Ramdhan Fahrony, Experiential Learning, Networking & Alumni Lead at the Tanoto Foundation, and Stephanus W, Co-founder of KarirLab.
In the discussion session, Prof Vina Adriany conveyed that ECCE plays a crucial role in reducing social mobility, poverty, and enhancing equality and justice, especially for children from less fortunate backgrounds. However, currently, early childhood education throughout Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, is not mandatory. For instance, in Indonesia, financing for ECCE is mostly the responsibility of the community and private sector. Out of various ECCE institutions in Indonesia, only 2% are public kindergartens, while the rest are dominated by community participation and private sector involvement.
Although this reflects a collective commitment in the principle of "It takes a village to raise a child," societal inequality poses a challenge. Communities with adequate financial capacity can provide quality PAUD services, while those with limited resources can only offer basic services. The limitations in resources and inequality impact the quality of PAUD services, hindering the achievement of quality early childhood education in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The hope is that through this activity, a deep dialogue and discussion forum can be created on crucial issues in the field of education. Through PFoE, investigations and discussions on various education policies can be conducted, evaluating their impacts and formulating improvement or change proposals to enhance the education system. Ultimately, the goal of this activity is to stimulate discussions on innovation in education, seek new solutions, and encourage the implementation of best practices to advance the education system.
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