Smart Generation in Villages Program strengthen collaboration between ministries
Jakarta, 26 April, 2016 – More than 15,000 teachers across 25 districts in Indonesia will receive training to provide early childhood education, as part of a new government program called the Early Childhood Education Smart Generation in Villages program (PAUD Generasi Cerdas Desa).
The program is a collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration, with support from the World Bank and the Australian Government. It aims to improve the quality of early childhood education services, particularly for impoverished communities, in order to expand their future opportunities.
Village leaders hold the key for success for early childhood education initiatives, says the central government.
“The influence of village leaders over village development is important and wide-ranging. They have a mandate across many sector to develop the villages, including the improvement of human resources. We invite all village leaders to improve access to affordable education, starting from an early age,” said Harris Iskandar, Director General of Early Childhood Education and Community Education at the Ministry of Education and Culture.
The new program is a combination of three existing government programs: the Smart and Healthy Generation program under the Ministry of Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration; the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Early Education Program; and a program to improve the quality of teachers and education professionals.
“Children who receive early education show higher levels of socio-emotional and cognitive development. Improved early childhood education will help Indonesia better prepare future generations, particularly children in the villages,” said Rodrigo Chaves, World Bank Country Director Indonesia.
The PAUD Generasi Cerdas Desa program will improve the quality of early childhood education programs in villages through integrated training at the district level; the program will be piloted in 25 regencies through to the year 2017. The program will allow teachers in villages to receive national-standard training in teaching early childhood education.
“Australia is proud to be involved in the Indonesian Government’s initiative to improve early childhood education and development. This pilot will help ensure that children, especially those in poor rural areas, receive a quality start to their education to support a productive Indonesian society,” said Fleur Davies, Minister Counsellor for Governance and Human Development of the Australian Embassy, Jakarta.
The Australian government is providing USD $5.4 million as part of its on-going support to Generasi Sehat dan Cerdas.
The program will be implemented in 25 districts. In West Nusa Tenggara Barat province, the districts of Dompu, West Lombok, Sumbawa, and Central Lombok, will participate, as well of Central North Timur in East Nusa Tenggara province and Central Maluku in Maluku province. In West Java province, the districts participating are Subang, Sumedang, Kuningan, Cianjur, Sukabumi, and Garut, and in East Java province, Trenggalek and Nganjuk. In South Sumatera, the districts of Banyuasin and Ogan Komering Ilir districts in South Sumatra province are also joining, as are the Sangihe islands in North Sulawesi province. Lastly, the districts of Polewali Mandar and Mamuju in West Sulawesi province will take part in the program, as will Boalemo and Gorontalo districts in Gorontalo province, Ketapang district in West Kalimantan, and Lamandau district in Central Kalimantan.
