The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Thousands of elementary school teachers will receive free long-distance university training as part of government efforts to improve the quality of teachers in the country, a senior education official said.

The program, costing around Rp 70 million (US$7.7 million), was officially launched Friday by the Education Ministry.
"As many as 1,000 elementary school teachers have been selected for the first batch and will be given an opportunity to continue their studies at appointed universities," said ministry director for human resource development Fasli Djalal at the launching ceremony.

The program officially began last October. It caters specifically for state teachers, who have the lowest overall level of education among the nation's educators.

A consortium of 10 universities -- including the Indonesian Education University (UPI) in Bandung, Muhammadiyah University in Malang, East Java, Cendrawasih University in Papua, Nusa Cendana University in Kupang and Atmajaya University in Jakarta -- will implement the program and develop materials and curriculums.

Fasli said the long-distance program would combine both face-to-face teaching and e-learning via the Internet.

"Students can also learn through audio visual equipment, such as video compact discs (VCDs) and teleconference facilities in university information and communication centers to help communicate with their lecturers," he added.

Ministry data shows there are currently 1,131,687 elementary school teachers in the country. However, only 99,500 are university graduates.

The remaining 1,032,187 must now obtain university diplomas required for standard certification programs beginning this year.

Fasli said the ministry also encouraged teachers to obtain their bachelor's degree through open universities where long-distance adult education programs are already in place.

The Education Ministry will disburse Rp 340 billion worth of scholarships to around 170,000 teachers to facilitate their higher education pursuits.

Rp 230 billion has also been allotted for proposal-based grants to support elementary and high school teachers develop their professional qualifications. Another Rp 360 billion has been provided for teachers' certification.