Jakarta (Rakyat Merdeka: (21/07/07) To make sure that teaching and learning process go on effectively, teachers should be able to manage their classes properly. A training for 1000 teachers held by Sampoerna Foundation Teacher Institute (SF TI) and the Basic Education Office (Dikdas) of Jakarta Education Agency recently was aimed at producing class managers. Until now, most teachers limit their roles in conveying the teaching subject to students. Usually they did not use the right method; thus, students are unable to absorb the subjects taught optimally.

Head of SF TI Program Wendy Armunando said, to produce good-quality students, teachers’ should play a greater role than teaching.“Education quality can be improved if teachers manage their classrooms properly. Because students’ evaluation should be carried out based on various aspects, like cognitive (knowledge), psycho-motoric (skill) and affective (behavior) aspects,” Wendy said during the closure of a training program for 1,000 elementary and junior high school teachers in Jakarta recently.

The training, themed “Class management and Evaluation Method Development,” have been carried out since April 2007 until June 2007. 750 elementary school and 250 junior high school teachers from across Jakarta joined the training, during which teachers learned about class management and comprehensive students’ evaluation. Students evaluation is based on cognitive, psycho-motoric and affective aspects."Until now, students’ evaluation is mainly based on quantitative aspects. In the future, we hope teachers could be more objective in evaluating their students based on their respective qualities,” Wendy said.

SF TI director, Kenneth Cock, said this training for 1000 teachers is expected to become a model to be employed by the Education Quality Insurance Agency (LPMP) across Indonesia as well as by the Jakarta Education Agency Jakarta, and other education agencies across the country. Endang Nurhayati, headmaster of SMP 266 who joined the training said teachers were enthusiastic, because they can learn how to manage their class, a skill every teachers should have.