Alternative education for youth in poverty: towards lifelong learning for all in Indonesia

Abstract

Since conceived in 1979, SMP Terbuka (Open Junior Secondary School! OJSS) was a means of providing open education for children who lived in remote area where regularly mainstream Junior Secondary School was not provided. Post 1997 (economic crisis), larger numbers of children in Indonesia were facing not only geographical but also socio-economic constraint that made them dropping out of school and even forced them to work. The situation demands not only government but also community to provide alternative education that appropriate for youth in poverty. The alternative education should not only be free, but also more flexible and relevant for those children. In conjunction with the education reform in Indonesia, the number of OJSS as well as Independent Learning Center (ILC) is increasing. This paper discusses about the significant role of alternative education toward the accomplishment of lifelong learning for all in Indonesia. Yayasan Sekolah Rakyat (YSR) would illustrate the alternative education movement in Indonesia. YSR as one of NGOs in Indonesia that support education for all has developed 475 ILC throughout Indonesia and covered more than 17,000 youth in poverty as the students. The characteristic of ICL is different from mainstream schools, and so is the profile of the students. As they come from poor and mostly dysfunctional families, the role of teachers and school (ILC) is also modified. As the implication, the teaching strategies applied should take the students' background into account. Hence in this paper the authors suggest the implementation of Problem- Based Learning (PBL) in the alternative education. Apart from its effectiveness in developing higher order of thinking, PBL forges effective communications between teachers and youth students in a democratic milieu.