Addressing the Problem of Equity

To improve equity in education the following measures have been undertaken by countries in the region:

1) Set up an education law or act, stipulating 6, 9 to 12 years compulsory education to be implemented at

all primary and secondary school through out the country.

Bruneis National Education Policy provides continuous education for all children for a period of 12 years.
Starting 2003, Thailand is expanding the 9 years to 12 years compulsory education, while other countries
such as Indonesia and Philippines still maintain 9 years compulsory education. This policy is important as
the legal basis for any effort in promoting education equity and quality.

COMPULSORY EDUCATION ACT of 2007

An Act to provide for compulsory education and for matters connected therewith or
incidental thereto
The Ministry of Education has a policy of providing a minimum of 12 years of education. This comprises 7
years in primary education (inclusive of 1 year in pre-school) and 5 years in secondary. In view of the
importance of education in the life of an individual, the Ministry of Education is also in the process of
making education compulsory for every child.

The education system places strong emphasis on literacy, numeracy, science, physical education, as well
as civics and moral education. The bilingual policy introduced in 1984 enables the child to acquire the
national language, Malay, and English. Proficiency in the latter enables the child to access a greater mass
of information in this globalised world. School children are also exposed to ICT skills to promote creativity,
independent learning and enhance higher order thinking skills.

Formal schooling begins at the preschool level at the age of five years. From the age of six years onwards,
students follow six years of primary education, after which they proceed to secondary level. All students
will have a common curriculum, and at the end of Year 6, they will sit for the Primary School Assessment
(PSR). Students who obtained five As in their PSR will be channelled to the science schools.

2) Building more school buildings and classrooms to accommodate more students and reconstruct or
rehabilitate existing schools.

3) Train and appoint more teachers especially to remote places.

In some countries a special incentive is given to teachers who are willing to be appointed in remote areas.
Brunei, for example, is improving the quality of their teaching staff through better in-service and pre-
service training and the intake of better qualified candidates in the teaching profession; upgrade and
expand existing education facilities; to improve the administration and management of the education
system, particularly in schools; and to upgrade the status of teaching profession by making classroom
teaching an attractive profession comparable to other professional career paths in the public service.

4) Publish more textbooks and learning materials for distribution make it easily accessible for the students
to learn.
5) Develop and implement alternative education programmes such as small schools, multigrade teaching
classroom, and satellite schools for children leaving in remote areas; special education for children with
physic and mental disability.

6) Increase community and private sector participation in providing education.

Except Myanmar and Cambodia, where education is mostly provided by the Government, almost all
countries in the region encourage private sector participation in education. In Indonesia, private
institutions have been contributing significantly to the provision of education. The higher the level of
education, the higher the level of involvement of the community and private sector in providing education
opportunity. Malaysia is now moving towards a more equitable share of financing education between the
government and the private sector, while Thailand and the Philippines are strengthening active
partnership between government and the private sector to sustain the process of human resource
development.

7) Social mobilization to create awareness among the people regarding the importance of schooling and
education by using mass communication and publicity media such as radio, short films, posters,
billboards, radio and TV spots.

8) Provide assistance to disadvantage children such as stipend programme, school feeding and lunch
programme, and mobilize resources of the community to support childrens needs such as school
uniform, textbooks and stationary.

In Thailand, since 1980, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn initiated Agriculture for
School Lunch Project to increase food production in order to improve the quality and frequency of school
lunches. This is important not only to lower dropout rates but also for combating malnutrition among
school children and thus facilitate their learning. This project has served 48,176 children attending 478
schools in 41 out of 76 provinces in Thailand. (Office of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorns Projects,
2000).

A similar project has also been started in Indonesia for socio economically disadvantaged school children.
Scholarship was also given to students at the higher education level. High school students with
exemplary record were given scholarships and exempted from university entrance test. Scholars, mostly
those coming from the provinces and remote areas were also offered dormitories free of charge. At the
primary and secondary levels, there are also initiatives on providing dormitory for poor students who are
living far from the schools.

9) Develop and implement open education and learning systems.

Since 1979, at the basic and secondary schools Indonesia has expanded education opportunities for
school age children who can not learn via the conventional system due to geographic, socio-economic,
and cultural reason by managing the Open Junior Secondary School. Started with 5 locations in 5
provinces, this open school has been expanded to all over the country. In the middle of 90s, there were
4,483 open schools in 26 provinces (Sadiman, et all, 1996, Rahardjo, 2001). In the Philippines, the
Bureau of Secondary Education will undertake the Distance Learning Program (Open High School)
specifically to address accessibility concerns at the secondary level. (For above the school age children
the government also conducted Package A Programme (equivalent to primary school) and Package B
(equivalent to secondary school).

To increase access at the higher education level a number of countries in the region is conducting open
universities, such as Sukhothai Thamathirat Open University (STOU, Thailand), Open Learning University
(Indonesia), University of Philippines Open University (Philippines), University of Distance Education
(Myanmar), Hanoi Open University (Vietnam), Open University Malaysia and University of Tun Abdul
Razak (Malaysia). Distance or open learning has not been formalized as an official mode of acquiring
knowledge in Brunei Darussalam.

This open learning system is not only for primary, secondary and university levels, but also for teacher
training programmes. Indonesia has been using radio broadcast for primary school teachers upgrading
programme since the 1970s. With the new requirements for being primary and secondary school
teachers, more than a million teachers have to be trained. The conventional approach is not feasible to
solve persistent and prevalent issues such as geographic location, limited time, lack of budget, big
number of teacher and insufficient learning facilities. Thus, open learning; using radio and TV become a
good solution.

Thailand is very aggressive in using radio and TV. They started using TV broadcast for education in 1964
and radio for distance education programmes from primary to pre-university level in 1978. Under the
Satellite Distance Education Project which started in 1994 Thailand uses satellite television broadcasts to
provide an open access and equal education opportunity to all target groups, consisting of formal
students, non formal students and the general public through seven TV channels broadcasting education
and instructional programmes every day. (Non-formal Education Department, 1998).

10) Provide free education to all students.

Education in Brunei Darussalam is free of charge for all citizens from the age of 5 years to the university
level. In other countries, under the nine years compulsory education policy, education is also provided to
all the school age children free of charge.

Addressing the Problem of Quality

Improving quality of education is really one of the big challenges faced by countries in Southeast Asia.
Several measures have been undertaken such as :

1) Train teachers, school principals and other educational personal and upgrade their professional
competency.

Teachers, who are not only knowledgeable and innovative, but highly disciplined, strongly motivated and
dedicated. Competency-based approach has been used to meet this goal. To ensure quality, the status of
teaching profession is being upgraded by making classroom teaching an attractive profession comparable
to other professional career paths by improving teachers welfare. Incentive and facilities were introduced
such as providing opportunities for further studies, presenting appropriate awards for dedicated teachers,
determining appropriate allowances for teachers teaching critical subjects and those teaching in remote
areas, etc. to make the teaching profession more attractive.

In Malaysia plans are under way to attract the best people to teaching by providing housing facility, car
loans at low interest rates and scholarship to further studies at the masters and PhD level.

Malaysias targets are to improve achievement among children. Apart from overall achievement,
emphasis is placed on science, mathematics, English and in bridging the digital divide with the
introduction of ICT literacy.

Since last year Malaysian government start implementing a new policy in education; teaching science and
mathematic using English as medium of instruction. The challenge is they do not have enough capable
teachers doing that job. Training (both pre and in-service training) has been done but it seems it will take
times to have all science and math teachers capable in teaching those subjects using English.
To ensure that a competent teaching force is maintained to deliver quality education, Singapore MOE has
introduced programmes that focus on talent management, leadership selection and review of teachers
workload. Various initiatives, from faster promotion prospects to awards, have been introduced, to
acknowledge the role teachers play, and raise the standing and morale of the profession.

2) Revise curriculum and make it more relevant and appropriate.

Effort is also undertaken to match the skills provided in education and training with the skills required by
the industry and world of work and to improve the image of technical education by integrating vocational
and technical education with general education.

Singapore, for example, has been imparting values and skills through a forward-looking curriculum. MOE
has been reviewing and introducing changes to the curriculum, assessment modes and teaching
methodologies in order to impart core skills, values and attitudes to our students. Some of these changes
include reduction of the syllabus content, infusion of IT and thinking skills through the launch of the IT
Master Plan in Education in 1997, as well as introducing project work to help the different disciplines.

Thailand under its Decade for Quality and Equity in Education during 2002-2011 has developed a core
curriculum for basic education aimed at preserving Thai identity and providing international contents to
enable learners to keep up with updated information. It is flexible enough to facilitate the community to
make adjustments in response to local demands.

Malaysia aims to equip all school leavers with an employable skill with which to secure employment in the
job market, and for those who choose to be self-employed, they are taught the rudiments of
entrepreneurship and the setting up of a small business in the field that they have been trained.

As the smallest country in terms of population, Brunei has the highest unemployment rate
(10%,est.2001). (World Fact Book, 2004). For that reason the MOE Brunei is trying to reduce
unemployment by matching the skills provided in education and training with the skills required by the
industry and world of work. The Ministry is also making efforts to improve the image of technical
education by integrating vocational and technical education with general education.

In Indonesia, MONE is providing pre-vocational skills especially to the poor students who are enrolled in
open junior secondary schools as part of life skills programs. In 2002 there are 1,000 out of 3,121 open
junior secondary schools covered by the program.

In reforming its curriculum, Thailand allows for contribution/participation of stakeholders, to meet new
challenges and demands of difference groups of learners with an emphasis on mathematics, science, and
technology in parallel with the promotion of pride in national identity and cultural heritage;

3) Increase the availability, accessibility and quality of textbooks and other learning materials.

Thailand, under it Education Reform policy requires the students to use various learning sources besides
their textbooks. Electronic sources are encouraged to expand a knowledge base of both learners and
teachers.

Indonesia, in order to bridge urban-rural gaps is procuring textbooks prioritized to the remote areas.
Currently, the ratio of textbooks to students is still 1:3, while the ideal one is 1:1.
The other countries are also trying to provide the learners with good quality, enough in quantity and easily
accessible learning materials.

4) Improve teaching-learning process, shift it from a conventional to a leaner-centered approach with an

emphasis on self- learning to promote lifelong learning and relevant to real situations and their daily life.
MOE Singapore seeks to identify, as early as possible, the talents and abilities of students and develop
educational programmes to cater to their different needs, abilities, aptitudes and learning modalities.
There is a need to structure different educational routes for children of different ability groups and move
towards a model of mass customisation in the provision of education.

5) Provide the schools and learning institutions with more and better learning facilities.

Even though Singapore is the most developed economically country in the region but attention is still
being paid to school infrastructure, including the building of new schools, making all secondary schools
go single-session and reviewing school designs for flexibility and expandability.

6) Use ICT both for teaching learning and management purposes.

All countries have been trying to integrate the use of technology, especially ICT to improve the quality of
their education.

Thailand has been using radio and television broadcasting intensively to provide good quality education
to all formal as well non-formal students. Indonesia trains hundred thousands of primary school teachers
using the same media. New policy on ICT has been set up and action plans has been developed by the
countries. E-education/virtual education/on-line education become a common trend we can find in most of
the countries.

The MOE Malaysia considers ICT as a means, not an end in itself. All departments in the MOE are
actively engaged in the implementation of the ICT in education policy. (UNESCO Bangkok, 2003).
Malaysia has launched their SMRT School project as one of the seven flagship applications of the
Multimedia Super Corridor to systematically reform the Malaysian school system and transforming a
culture of memory based examination oriented learning to a thinking creative and problem solving culture.
(Ministry of Education, 2001)

Philippines, with its ICT Plan for Basic Education focuses on seven key areas :infrastructure
development, technical support, teacher training on the design, production and use of ICT-based
instructional materials, research and development, technology integration in the curriculum, use of
innovative technologies in education and training, and fund generation. (UNESCO, 2003)

7) Apply school-based quality improvement by combining school-level autonomy with accountability.

This approach empowers the schools by promoting participative decision-making and flexibility in
allocating school resources. At the higher education level, more autonomy has been given to universities
and colleges.

Since schools play a vital role in developing children in all aspects of skills, school reform is a
fundamental element of quality improvement. With this justification, Thailand has introduced the concept
of school-based management to schools as part of school reform aiming to improve quality in education.
Local schools are able to independently administer their schools to assure close participation of local
community. Administrators will be trained to keep pace with new administration techniques related to
effective school management. (Office of the Educational Commission, 2003)

8) Introduce bilingual system of education to enable students achieves high degree of proficiency in
national and international languages.

Brunei and Malaysia believe that proficiency in English will allow students easier access to information on
development of science and technology, and as a result, take advantage of more opportunities to
compete in an increasingly globalize world. Cambodia introduces foreign language teaching (French and
English) in grades 5 and 6.

9) A good reading habit is a prerequisite for better learning.

Some countries like Brunei, Thailand and Indonesia are promoting book and reading among the school
children, youth and the community in general.

10) Strengthen partnership with foreign educational institutions through twinning programme, credit
transfers, validation and accreditation, distance learning and Open University programmes.

In Malaysia, to open up foreign education to Malaysians, the Education Ministry approved the 3+0 foreign
degree programmes. Students are able to obtain foreign degree locally. The presence of offshore
campuses will provide the impetus to higher education institutions to improve their quality and standard of
education.

Cooperation with foreign partners in education is also encouraged in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

11) Strengthen partnership with community, private and business sectors. This will help minimizing the
gap between education and the world of work.

MOE Singapore, like in other countries, recognizes the importance of involving schools, parents,
community and industries as partners in education. Efforts have been made to involve the various
stakeholders at the Ministry and school levels.

12) Giving more autonomy to education institutions/schools to manage their education process.
Decentralization becomes a common agenda of education reform in most of the countries in the region.

Lao PDR, for example, is improving the management of non-formal education programs through
increased decentralization of management and activities, with improved training of trainers. (Mitaray,
2000).

Indonesia gives more autonomy to the school to improve quality of education by assuring the
implementation of school-based management program.

It is really a challenge for the country moving education environment from centralized to decentralized
system. The consequences, among others, are as follows. Since they have more autonomy, some local
governments at district level are trying to develop their own education systems, which sometimes are not
congruent with the national system. The new bureaucracy system at the district level, which requires
appropriate adjustment, has caused a time constraint in implementing quality and equity improvement
programmes. In addition, some districts with low income have some reasonable difficulties in developing
their education program. Therefore, they are still highly dependent on the budget allocated by the central
government. (SEAMEO Secretariat, 2001)

Thailand also decentralize authority to local communities for self-reliance and self-determination of local
affairs, while Vietnam renovate strongly state governance over education by decentralizing dramatically
educational management and bring into full play the initiative and self-responsibility of educational
institutions. For this purpose, a project of decentralization in education is being implemented.

SEAMEOs Role in Promoting Quality and Equity

What role SEAMEO plays in helping the member countries dealing with these challenges? As the only
and oldest regional organization of Ministers of Educations in Southeast Asia, SEAMEO commits itself to
help member countries in promoting quality and equity in education. This commitment is reflected clearly
as one of the seven SEAMEO programme priorities, at least for the next five years : expanding access to
quality education at all levels and streams (SEAMEO Secretariat, 2001). This is done through its main
activities : training and workshop, seminar/conference/symposium, research and development,
consultancy, and information sharing.

Since its establishment in 1965, through its 15 regional centres, SEAMEO provide various training
programmes, both short term and long term, degree and non degree ones. The trainings covers area
such as science and mathematic, vocational and technical education, education innovation and
technology, ICT, language, higher education and development, history and tradition, education
management, preventive health education, open learning methodology. Most of the training target
beneficiaries are teachers, instructors, lecturers, principals, and other educational personals.

SEAMEO RECSAM, in Penang, Malaysia, provide trainings for teachers and school principals in how to
teach better science and mathematic; SEAMEO RELC in Singapore in teaching English and other
languages, SEAMEO INNOTECH in the Philippines using new and innovative approach in teaching
learning, SEAMEO TROPMED in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines dealing with
preventive health measures to make the learning environment and children healthier.

In higher education level SEAMEO RIHED in Bangkok does the training, research and development
dealing with higher education development. SEAMEO SEAMOLEC (Indonesia) promotes the use of open
and distance learning approach in expanding learning opportunities, as well as the use of technology for
supporting these initiatives.

SEAMEO VOCTECH in Brunei Darussalam provides training for teachers and other educators in
vocational and technical education while SEAMEO SEARCA (Philippines) trains university and higher
education people in sustainable agriculture. In education management we have SEAMEO RETRAC
(Vietnam) while improving teaching history and culture preservation and development are done by
SEAMEO CHAT (Myanmar) and SEAMEO SPAFA (Thailand).

The 37th South East Asia Ministry of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Council Conference in Chiang
Mai, Thailand on 11 March 2002 adopted the Declaration on Quality and Equity in Education in Southeast
Asia. All SEAMEO member countries committed to enhancing education quality and equity in their
respective countries.

As the follow up of the conference, the Special High Official Meeting (SHOM) was held in Pattaya,
Thailand on 29-31 May 2002 to discuss what to be done by each SEAMEO member country. The
meeting agreed on the following issues: 1) to strengthen the program responding equity and quality in
education, 2) to form the task force consists of one representative from each member country, and 3) to
provide school targets in each member country through the coalition of the schools, that is the Regional
Coalition of Schools on Quality and Equity (RCS-QE). The targeted schools are included in a pilot project
on quality and equity for two years (i.e. 2002 and 2003).

A regional Coalition of Schools on Quality and Equity has been set up and the number of schools is
growing as the countries see the important of this initiative.

ICT is very important for improving the quality of as well as expanding access to education. Research
findings around the world shows that appropriate use of ICT will improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of teaching learning process. SEAMEO is also promoting the use of ICT in the member countries. Just to
mention some of the programmes, the development of model for the use of ICT for pre-service and in-
service teacher training on science, mathematic and language; development of e-learning and virtual
library; SEAMEO Sister School Internet Project, The Use of ICT for HIV/AIDS Preventive Health
Education at the Cross Border Areas in GMS , Virtual Forum for Language Teachers etc.

SEAMEO INNOTECH, as a centre for Education Innovation and Technology, has conducted the following
ICT based programmes: Utilizing Leading-Edge Technologies for Quality Education, Technology Tools for
Producing Instructional Materials, Special Course on Using Computers in the Teaching-Learning Process,
Technology Applications in Education: Teachers and Teacher Trainers, The Principal as CEO and
Technology Leader. Similar training on ICT was also done by SEAMEO SEAMOLEC such as
Development of Web-based course using WebCT, Utilization of Internet for instruction, and Development
of interactive multimedia for CD ROM and online access.

Since its establishment in 1965, SEAMEO has done a lot in helping the member countries in improving
their human resources through education and training but the demand keep increasing as our
environment keep changing. The challenges are still there for this organization to help the member
countries.