The Government of Indonesia’s Law No 35 of 2014 on child protection states in article 9 (1) that every child has the right to receive education and teaching to develop their personality and intelligence to their full potential and according to their own interests and talent. Under this law the state guarantees to protect and respect this process for every child. However, not all children in Indonesia obtain a proper education (Folia 2018). In terms of access and enrolment, education in Indonesia has improved significantly but improving the quality of education remains a challenge.
The results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2015 indicated that 42 per cent of 15 year-old students in Indonesia failed to achieve the minimum standard for reading, mathematics and science. In Dompu district, West Nusa Tenggara province, where the INOVASI program is being implemented, the baseline survey conducted in 2018 showed that Dompu district had the highest percentage of students that failed to pass the basic literacy test and the lowest average literacy scores among students in grades one to three. In addition, Dompu district has the highest proportion of students with special needs in various categories.
Based on dialogue between the INOVASI team and a number of relevant stakeholders, socio-economic and cultural factors in Dompu, especially in the rural areas, influence the quality and access to education. For example, during the horse-racing and harvest seasons, children may be absent from school as they become jockeys or spectators or accompany their parents to the fields.
In response to these issues, INOVASI initiated a program called ‘Learning in school and in the community’ (Belajar di Sekolah dan Masyarakat – BERSAMA) in Dompu district in 2017. The objective of the BERSAMA program is to strengthen cooperation between basic education institutions, parents and communities in improving enrolment, access and the quality of learning in targeted areas.
We needed to gain a deeper understanding of the socio-economic and cultural conditions of the people of Dompu, particularly in INOVASI’s targeted villages, to be able to better place any activities we initiate in the right context.
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