This book explores the current state of lndonesian education. There appear to be few distinctive images of education in Indonesia that are widely known internationally. But this is not because nothing is happening. The past decade has seen major trends in the structure of the Indonesian education system and in schooling trajectories of lndonesia’s children and adolescents. It has also seen major policy discussions and initiatives. Over the same period, the country saw the administration of primary and secondary levels decentralised to the regional government, introduction of the new paradigm of school-based management, and public spending on education required to reach one-fifth of total government spending. But while enrolment rates at all levels continue to increase, quality remains low and has not improved, and the tertiary education sector continues to experience issues with autonomy and unsatisfactory performance.

In Indonesia, as elsewhere in Asia, education will inevitably play a key role in the trajectory of national development as the 21
century unfolds. Aside from World Bank reports, three does not appear to be any volume that provides a wide-ranging comprehensive coverage of the Indonesian educational situation and the issues it faces. Therefore, this book fills an important gap and, as such, potentially has a wide readership.