Jakarta (Suara Pembaruan: 08/01/07) The Education Strategic Plan (Renstra) 2005-2009 is still dominated by economic approach. The human resources are prepared to compete in the international community. Yet, the most important issue in the strategic plan is the pedagogic aspects in education.

 
Consequently, the various national education policies are only directed to produce competitive human resources. “Of course, the choice of a national education strategy to develop the nation’s competitiveness is good. In general, the strategic plan of 2005-2009 gives more emphasizes on competition, but it does not deal with the Indonesian culture, and it does not put forward justice and liberty,” education expert Winarno Surakhmad told Pembaruan in Jakarta on Saturday (6/1).  

Winarno explained that the national education planning strategy is lacking of pedagogic aspects. In drawing up the strategic planning, the government uses economy paradigm that has been adapted to the paradigm of organizing for business excellence (Orbex). “The National Education Ministry might forget that the objective of education is humanizing students,” he said. Winarno explained that the strategic planning using economic approach will produce human beings capable of producing as much profit as possible. In pursuing the goal people could be trapped in greediness. “This is a process of dehumanizing. The goal only produces human resources which are against the essence of intelligent Indonesians.

It might be better to bring back the objective of national education to the Indonesian education philosophy, which is humanizing and liberating human beings,” he asserted. Therefore, Winarno added, if we want the education in Indonesia more advanced and respected in the international community, we should have a strong education fundamental.
 
The interest of the power

Meanwhile, Public Service Monitoring Division Manager of the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), Ade Irawan, asserted, that the strategic plan serves as the guidelines for education administration to achieve the objective of education as stipulated in the Constitution. Therefore, more space is needed to accommodate various parties to get involve in the drawing up of the strategic planning.

However, the National Education Ministry has ignored the participative, transparent and accountable process. Only parts of the government such as the Ministry of Finance, National development Planning Agency (Bappenas) and the Ministry of Religious affairs have been involved. The participation of parents and teachers who have a big interest in education has been overlooked. “Therefore, no wonder if the content of the strategic planning reflects the interest of those in power rather than that of the education,” he stated.