By Muhammad Sugeng
Introduction
The
Reason
Education in
its general sense is a form of learning in
which knowledge, skills,
and habits of
a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next
through teaching,
training, research, or simply through auto
didacticism. Generally,
it occurs through any experience that
has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts.
Education is an
important part in a country. For developed countries, such as United
Kingdom, education is used in an effort to continuously improve the
quality of life of its citizens. As for the countries that are
developing, education implemented in an attempt to catch up the
international arena so that they can be compared with developed
countries.
Every country has
the different of education system to improve the education quality in
that country. In our country Indonesia there is a system that used to
improve the education for its citizen. Now the writer wants to
compare between the education system in Britain and in Indonesia.
Content
Comparison
(1)
pre-primary
education, age 3-4 years
(2)
primary
education,
age
4-11 years
(3)
secondary
education,
age
11-16 years
(4)
further
education,
age
16-18 years
(5)
higher
education, age
above
18 years.
Compulsory
education
a.
Elementary School
Elementary education
was starting when the children was at the age of 5-11 years. There is
no test except when they were at 7 years old, children (students) are
required to take the exam skills. The emphasis is on learning by
discovery rather than memorization.
b.
High School
High school was
starting when the student were at the age of 11-16 years. Here began
deepening lessons. In the 4th year, students take General
Certificate of Secondary Education
(GSCE) exams. After the examination, students can work, attend
training programs at vocational or technical school, or continue
another 2 years to prepare for starting in the university, known as
the A-Levels.
Education options
a.
A levels
A Level is a
continuation of high school if they want to get into university,
which thought for 2 years.
b.
Degree
Degree is a
qualification from a university. (Other qualifications obtained after
secondary education are usually called ‘certificate’ or
‘diploma’.
c.
Bachelor’s Degree
Bachelor’s Degree
is general name for a first degree, most commonly a BA (Bachelor of
Arts) or BSc (Bachelor of Science). Student studying for a first
degree are called undergraduates. When they have been awarded a
degree, they are known as graduates. Most people get honours degrees,
awarded in different classes. These are:
Class
I (known as ‘a first’);
Class
II.I (‘a2.1’ or ‘an upper second’);
Class
II.II (‘a 2.2’ or ‘a lower second’);
Class
III (‘a third’)
A student who is
bellow one of these gets a pass degree (i.e. not an honours degree).
d. Master’s Degree
Master’s Degree is
the general name for a second (postgraduate) degree, most commonly MA
or MSc. At Scottish universities however these titles are used for
first degrees.
e. Doctorate
Doctorate is the
highest academic qualification. This usually (but not everywhere)
carries the title PhD (Doctor of Philosophy). The time taken to
complete a doctorate varies, but it is generally expected to involve
three years of more-or-less full-time study.
Basically, the
schools in UK emphasized the responsibility to its students self. Its
gives the freedom to the students to organize themselves collectively
schools from elementary to high levels. With this method the student
is expected to become an independent person when they grow up.
Educational approach
that applied is the
discovery.
The implication of this approach is that students are educated to be
able to do research in order to develop the knowledge gained. With a
record they should not be afraid and do not be lazy. By doing
research, students will discover new things that could enrich his
knowledge.
The style of
education system in the UK is deepening on particular aspects or may
be more concerned in specialized expertise and skills in various
fields of life according to their talents and abilities of students.
With this system the right way to deepen knowledge is through the
discover study system. Deepening the expertise and skill is usually
done at the secondary level.
The development of
practical technology at the secondary level and academic technology
at colleges and universities were begun to focus on the primary and
secondary school levels. That system will facilitate and help the
students to choose to get into the world of work or to go on to
higher education. Its have the similarity with the development of the
fields of social sciences and humanities disciplines and the arts
(arts and culture) or language.
Thus, the pattern of
development of education in the education system in UK that used is
the press schematic pattern. This pattern suggests that education
means Britain wanted their students to be experts in their respective
fields.
Religious education
is also applied in the UK. The religious education there is a
Christian education. Christian education is carried out to strengthen
the students' personalities in order to deepen the knowledge
specificity.
The UK government
also provides autonomy for religious organizations that want to set
up schools with their respective characteristics. This is done to
achieve democratization in education. Nevertheless, the government
has the authority to monitor it and intervene when necessary.
Government intervention was limited to the primary and secondary
level. While for both public and private university is an autonomous
institution that is free from government interference.
1.
Kindergarten
2.
Compulsory 9 years (SD / MI until SMP / MTs)
3.
Senior High School (SMA / MA / SMK)
4.
Higher Education
or
universities.
And recently, the
government will declare the 12-year compulsory education. That means
for the citizens of Indonesia are minimal until the high school
level. In addition, there are private schools based on religion such
as SD-IT, SMP-IT and others.
If we look a glance,
the education system in Indonesia is almost similar to the education
system in UK. It is of course apart from the economic aspect that the
Indonesia still was far behind the UK.
However, other than
in terms of the material there are also striking differences of the
education system in the UK and Indonesia. Difference was found in the
pattern of education system. As was mentioned before that the
education system in UK more concerned with specialized expertise and
depth of skills, so the pattern that was applied is the
press schematic.
While in Indonesia, the pattern that was applied mostly is breadth
schematic
so that the depth of his knowledge is also lacking.
Breadth schematic
pattern seen from the large number of subjects that was available.
Average the subjects that must to be mastered by the students in one
year is about 14-16 subjects, with a lot of material, abstract and
less functional.
With such a system
that has implications for the imposition of education to the students
that can make them depressed. As a result, students become lazy to go
to school, afraid that they will not pass the examination because of
they can to master all subjects. This is because aspect that
constructed in terms of cognition which can looks from the report
cards and what the student need to face the life is very less.
Finally, there are a lot of unemployment in Indonesia that not a few
of them are the people who ever get an education.
Indonesia should
learn from the patterns of the UK system. Do not just emphasize on
aspects of cognition by providing an overload of the subject matter.
Supposedly, from the elementary level, teachers and parents have to
pay attention on student activities that point to their talents and
interests. By knowing it, the teachers can guidance so that students
can grow up whit their talents and their interests.
Needs to be noted
that children who grow up is not the only educational slave stuffed
with doctrines and force both parents and teachers themselves. Let
them develop according to their respective talents because every
human being must have the potential of each. Parents and teachers are
only as a guide so that they can grow up with their respective
talents. This point is also important to foster self-reliance spirit
and attitude research (discover) the child as that has done in UK.
Regarding the
problem of vocational, according to the last news, the government
also will began to plan to create more vocational schools with a
percentage of about 70% for vocational schools. Thus, the government
tried to keep the students' skill level deeper. The addition of these
vocational schools is necessary to remember that Indonesia is facing
the free market. If a student does not have a particular
specialization, he or she will lose in competitiveness with strangers
who came to Indonesia.
Those are the
comparison that can make the Indonesia education system will be
different with the UK education system.
Conclusion
From the explanation
above, each pattern has its own advantages and disadvantages.
However, the good country is the country that certainly willing to
learn from other more advanced countries. Comparison of this study
can be used as a reference to create a better education system.
Indonesia has a
different system education with the UK. The difference was found in
the pattern of education system. As was mentioned before that the
education system in UK more concerned with specialized expertise and
depth of skills, so the pattern that was applied is the
press schematic.
While in Indonesia, the pattern that was applied mostly is breadth
schematic
so that the depth of his knowledge is also lacking.
Breadth schematic
pattern seen from the large number of subjects that was available.
Average the subjects that must to be mastered by the students in one
year is about 14-16 subjects, with a lot of material, abstract and
less functional.
References
Britain
for Learners of English_James O'Driscoll Oxford
buku-1-sistem-pendidikan-di-inggris_edisi-1_2012-09-25_
Prof.
Dr. T. A. Fauzi Soelaiman
