Jakarta, 27 July 2011 – In commemoration of National Children’s Day, YCAB Foundation supported by BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL, Turkuaz, and Elbow Room, held a discussion themed “Indonesian Children Education”. The discussion, which was held at Rumah Langsat, saw the participation of BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL Executive Dean Firdaus Alamsjah, Ph. D and Founder/CEO YCAB Foundation Veronica Colondam as speakers, with M. Farhan as moderator.
Obrolan Langsat or Obsat (Discussion at Langsat) which was held at Rumah Langsat, Jl Langsat I No 3A, mentioned a number of facts on education in Indonesia, including Indonesia’s Human Development Index (HDI) and school drop-outs. Firdaus stated that Indonesia’s HDI currently ranks 108th out of 172 countries. It puts Indonesia in the middle, far below its South East Asian peers Malaysia (57th), Thailand (92th), and Philippines (97th).
Veronica Colondam added that according to Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report 2011 data, Indonesia saw a decrease in the educational development index, as it slipped from 65th to 69th, according to UNESCO. Whereas, she stated that education is one of the important factors in the Human Development Index which influences the country’s welfare.
In addition, the discussion also addressed the issue of government budget for education, including facts about school drop-outs. It was revealed during the forum that the budget allocated for education by the government reached Rp 248 trillion, 20% of which was allocated to the Ministry of Education and Culture, and 80% to other educational activities in other ministries. Veronica also mentioned dropout rates in Indonesia, as well as introduced YCAB Foundation’s program (House of Learning) to address the challenges in education and to help curb the rate of school dropouts.
As a foundation which focuses on youth development, YCAB Foundation is highly concerned about Indonesia’s educational issues. Veronica stated that she hoped the discussion would help increase public awareness about the education problems in Indonesia, and also encourage multi-party collaboration to address obstacles that impede education in Indonesia.
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About Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB Foundation)
Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB Foundation) is an independent non-profit organization in Indonesia that was established in August 1999 and became a global organization in 2011 through YCAB Foundation. YCAB Foundation is headquartered in New York and is registered as a non-profit organization with tax deductions facility through section 501 (c) (3).
Over the years, YCAB Foundation has evolved into a social enterprise with a focus in youth development by improving their well-being through three areas of concentration: healthy lifestyle promotion, education provision, and economic empowerment.
For further information, please visit: www.ycabfoundation.org
Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa (YCAB Foundation)
Linda Chalid
Development and Communications Division
Tel: +62 21 5835 5000
E-mail: linda.chalid@ycab.org