|
The
Educational Process
Pre-Primary
Education | Basic
Education | Secondary
Education |
Pre-primary
education
Pre-school
education is aimed at stimulating the physical
and mental growth of pupils outside the family
environment, before entering primary school
or out-of-school educational programmes. The
focus of education is on the development of
attitudes, knowledge, skills and creative abilities,
so that the children may adapt to their environment
more quickly and easily, and for their further
growth and development. However, pre-school
education attendance is not a prerequisite
nor a requirement for entry into primary school.
The
types of pre-school education include kindergartens,
play groups and child-care centres. Kindergartens
are classed as in-school education facilities,
while play groups and child-care centres are
part of the out-of-school system. Apart from
these units, there are also special Islamic
pre-schools which have the same status as kindergartens.
These schools are called Bustanul Atfal and
Raudlatul Atfal, and are organized by the Ministry
of Religious Affairs.
Pre-school
education (kindergarten) caters to children
aged 4-6 and lasts one or two years. Children’s
welfare in play groups and child-care centres
is the responsibility of the Ministry of Social
Affairs, while the educational aspects are
organized by the MOEC according to the Government
Regulation No. 27 of 1990. Pre-school educational
units in the form of play groups and child-care
centres may be attended by children of 3 years
of age and below.
The
content of the pre-school programme for kindergartens
(in-school system) must include: Pancasila,
moral education, religion, discipline, language
skills, intellectual stimulation, creativity,
social skills, feelings and emotions, manual
skills and physical abilities and health.
Since
1969, pre-schools have increased in terms of
total numbers of school buildings, children
and teachers. This shows that the community
has become aware of the importance and strategic
role of pre-school as a tool in the improvement
of attitude, knowledge, skills and creativity
of young children. The average pupil-teacher
ratio has decreased from 17.3:1 in 1990 to
16.9:1 in 1994. Most of pre-schools are run
by the community or private organizations.
In
1996, in urban areas the gross enrolment rate
at the kindergarten level was 41.9% (MOEC,
1999). |
