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MBE Display at the National Conference of PDPP-PERFOM
The MBE Project took part in a PDPP-PERFORM National Conference from 6 - 8 December at the Sanur Paradise Hotel, Bali. MBE took the opportunity to make a display about its activities using posters, brochures, and the "Suara MBE" bulletin. Many of the visitors to the stand not only took brochures but also asked about MBE activities and
how they (other local governments) could participate in the project. Dewi, Anwar, Edy Budiono and Prima Setiawan took turns at manning the stand and patiently answered questions from the visitors (see the photograph above).
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From the visitors' questions and comments we came to the conclusion that:
Many other local governments (in West Sumatra and South Sulawesi, Timika District, and in Central Java and East Java) are interested in receiving technical assistance in the field of education;
Many people from outside the field of education were also very interested (local government officials and local parliament members).
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MBE Working Together with IAPBE AusAID
IAPBE (Indonesia Australia Partnership in Basic Education) an AusAID supported program conducted a school mapping workshop in Surabaya from the 1 - 4 December 2004. Local government officials from the three IAPBE partner districts in East Java: Gresik, Jombang and Jember, took part in the workshop.
The main objective of the work-shop was to create awareness and raise the level of commitment of local governments concerning the importance of accurate mapping and reliable data to support the planning and implementation of education progams in each district.
Even though they are working in different districts, what the IAPBE program is doing is the same in principle as MBE. Based on a common desire to share our experiences, IAPBE invited the MBE consultants Neneng Widiastuti and Toto Purwanto to tell about the experience of the MBE partner districts in carrying out school mapping and data workshops and talk about the benefits gained. The participants of the workshop learned a lot from the MBE consultants' experiences working with their local goverment partners. We all hope that that IAPBE will be successful in supporting the progress of the education in Indonesia.
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Study Visit by IAPBE to Banyuwangi
On the 29 December 2004 the Indonesia Australia Partnership in Basic Education (IAPBE) from Jember district made a study visit to view what has been achieved by MBE over the past year in Banyuwangi.
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Banyuwangi Bupati, Ir. H. Samsul Hadi in discussions with the DPRD, Dewan Pendidikan and consultants form Jember about raising the quality of education
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The IAPBE Jember team which was composed of the DPRD, the Dewan Pendidikan, Dinas Pendidikan, Department of Religious Affairs, Bappeda and the Finance Section, accompanied by consultants and other people involved in the program, discussed issues linked to MBE.
A friendly and informal meeting was also attended by the Bupati who had discussions with the DPRD and Dewan Pendidikan members. The meeting took place at the Bupati's office and was followed by visits to SDN 4 Penganjuran and SMPN 1 Banyuwangi.
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Two New Boys!
Two new consultants have been appointed to support the MBE program. They are Mr. Bob Cannon a professor from Australia who has often worked in Indonesia, and Bpk Toto Purwanto who previous-ly worked on the monitoring and evaluation of the JPS (Social Safety Net) program in the education sector, which was developed to address the aftermath of the 1998 economic crisis. Below are Bob's impressions of the MBE program.
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MBE - First Impressions
First impressions of MBE fall into three main groups:
Commitment and ownership : The professionalism, commitment and enthusiasm for educational change is evident everywhere. Commitment is demonstrated among District officials, principals and teachers, consultants and MBE support staff. In addition, it is clear that there is also a very high level of local ownership of the implementation processes.
Achievements :
The high levels of professional commitment are reflected in observable achievements, particularly in the implementation of PAKEM. Another achievement of MBE is the widespread and enthusiastic participation of stakeholders - parents, community leaders and educational professionals - in managing the processes of educational change and development.
Joyfulness :
Finally, a very strong impression is that most, if not all the people I have met, are really enjoying what they do. This is reflected, most significantly, in the warm and enthusiastic response of students to the changes that have occurred in their classrooms since the introduction of PAKEM.
In conclusion, any complaints? Only one, and that is that I did not have the opportunity to join this excellent project sooner!
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