Abstract :

How does education serve the social and economic development of a country ? It is a question of orientation that the education in the country should follow in its development. To suit the needs of the social and economic development of the country educational development and reform should be carried out continuously. This paper presents the viewpoints on educational development and reform that have been carried out mainly in the four areas of education such as education for all. Secondary education, higher education and administration of education in China in the past 50 years.

Education for all refers to literacy education and basic education; secondary education refers or junior and senior secondary education and vocational and technical education at this level; higher education refers to all post-secondary education; administration of education refers to the administration of education of all levels.

China is a country with huge population that accounts for one fifth of the population of the world. The data from the latest census for 2000 about education development in China shows that the rate of illiteracy among people aged 15 and above in 6.72%; and in every 100,000 person, there are 37057 people with the education level equivalent to finishing primary education, there are 33961 people with the education level equivalent to finishing junior secondary education, there are 11146 people with the education level equivalent to finishing senior secondary education, and there are 3611 with the education level equivalent to finishing two years or more post-secondary education. These are the outcomes of educational development and reform that have been carried out continuously in China. If you look at 1949 when New China was born that the rate of illiteracy was 80% of the whole population, and only 20% of school age children had access to education, both the experiences and lessons by China in its educational development and reform are unique.

EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA: ENHANCING ACCESSIBILITY, CAPABILITY AND QUALITY

Abstract

Education is always an important catalyst in developing talented, relevant, skillful and sufficient manpower to a nation. The future of a nation does depend greatly on the education system of the country. After almost 44 years independence, Malaysia had undergone a number of revision and upgrading on its education system. From a limited number of schools, especially only in the urban areas, Malaysia now has 8,858 schools, 12 polytechnics, 15 public universities, 460 private colleges and 10 private universities. There is pressure and demand for greater access to education. Access greatly depends on the financial contribution of the government and the economic status of the students. Private sector involvement in education is increasingly significant and serves to complement the efforts of the government.

The 21st century brings greater challenges to the education systems. We need to prepare ourselves to overcome these challenges in order to remain competitive. We need to produce capable manpower to serve the nation and the world. Globalization is coming, and technology does actually quicken its process. Information and communication technology has grown by leaps and bounds. Information plays significant role in creating knowledge. The strength of a nation in the future greatly depends on the strength of its people to acquire and to apply knowledge. Students can now enjoy their education at their own pace, either in their homes or at their workplace. The technology allows universal access to learning opportunities and recognition of learning in diverse settings.

Our education systems should be able to inculcate the ability for the students to think critically, communicate effectively and enhance the skill to seek information. Multidisciplinary and collaborative approach in teaching and learning should be adopted. This capability will enable them to learn and relearn, in order to remain competitive.

In this paper we will look at strategies that will be adopted by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia to meet challenges in this new century. Greater emphasis will be given to pre-school systems, science and technology as the engine of the economic growth, greater access to the education at all levels, information and communication technology to develop knowledge society, effective governance at schools and the institutions of higher learning, government's funding and the quality assurance of the system.

Abstract

Since 1987 the Government of Lao PDR has launched initiatives to run second education reform in order to develop the human resource with good qualities for serving the process of renovation of political, economic, social and cultural dimensions of the nation in accordance with policy guidelines on implementation of market economy mechanism and expansion of international economic cooperation. At that time, the Government adopted the strategic plan of education development for last decade of twentieth century.

However, the education reform was still remained at the paper. Until the end of 1990, that is, after the world conference on the education for all held in Jomtien, the national conference of the high educational officers revised the strategies of education for year 2000. As a result, the Government decided to borrow money from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for injecting in the education reform.

The real process of reform was moving into full operation in 1995-2000.The annual national conference on education held in August 2000 concluded the achievements, revealed the constraining issues, lessons learned and determined the new strategies of education development for the next two decades.

The recent education reform was concerning to all education sub-sectors: general education, including preschool, primary and secondary education; teacher education; non-formal education; vocational and higher education; and improvement of administration and management of education. The reform aimed at ensuring the universalization of primary education for the school children of 6 to 12 years old; renewal of school curriculum of all levels of general education; eradication of illiteracy for population at the age ranging from 15 to 45 years old; upgrading education for adult to complete the functional literacy with acquiring basic job skills; providing education equivalency to primary and secondary level for civil servants and administrative cadres in a way they could fulfilling the assigned tasks with high efficiency and effectiveness; training of skilled manpower to meet the requirements of labour maket of all economic sectors.

The whole process of reform was striving to enhancing the productivity of work in society and preparation of a reliable basis for moving to the new millennium through improved quality of education and gradually keeping up with the international standards.

In practice, during last five years Lao educational circels have achieved the success in quantitative as well as in qualitative aspects. The net enrollment rate in primary school made up 77.3% Today more than 0.8 million children go to school. The literacy rate was 74% The teaching personnel comprised 40,000 people. More than 32,000 skilled workers, technicians, engineers, civil servants have been trained, and the knowledge and qualification of whom was significantly upgraded. The national university, established five years ago by association then various higher education institutions, continues to operate and prepare the national cadres. The curricula of all education sub-sectors were reviewed, revised and/or developed with a view to ensure the national identity, modernity, and flexibility to the changes happening in the country and in the world under influence of the globalization. Meanwhile, the Government has considerably increased the capital investment in education. The allocation from the national budget into education increased to 13%. The new schools were constructed, and the old ones were renovated and equipped with the instructional materials, developed in compliance with the new curriculum. The mechanisms of education and school administration and management have been strengthened in terms of organizational structure, orders and regulations, and personnel. The education and school administrators have been trained on project management skills, technical, organizational and personnel management and supervision. At the same time, the control and supervision system has been set up nation-wide to monitor, stimulate, evaluate and offer guidance and recommendations on improvement of teaching-learning organization. Certainly, in the reform process several problems and issues were revealed and required rational solutions. Some lessons related to the educational reform were also disclosed, and will serve as reliable basis for determining new strategies of further reform.

In the overall education reform the important signification was given to the reform of school curriculum. In order to improve the quality of education, the school curriculum was reviewed and revised. Subsequently, the school objectives were determined and conducive to renewal of curricula of primary and secondary education. The highlights were placed on learning and training outcomes of school graduates to be good citizens, all round developed in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic and labour dimensions, responsible and well-disciplined, and ready to take active part in the cause of the national construction. The education content was revised and balanced across subjects, at the same time, providing the connectedness, interdisciplinarity and relevance.

The considerable number of school hours was dedicated to tool subjects: Lao and mathematics, which will serve as the instrument to acquire the knowledge of sciences, scientific process skills, and technical skills, to assimilate and discover social study for formulating the social and emotional patterns of individuals. Other school subjects such as physical education, arts (music, dancing, and drawing), and handicraft were elaborated for personality development. In addition, the new content related to the global trends of education: reproductive health, adolescence and sexual education, environmental study, life skills for prevention of HIV/AIDS, STD, drug abuses, and other risk behaviours, was invorporated into appropriate subjects and other risk behaviours, was incorporate into appropriate subjects and selected topic. Extra curricular activities were organized to promote national culture, solidarity, social useful works and inculcate the positive behaviours of students.

The teaching and learning strategies were shifted from teacher-centred, based mainly on lecture and keeping record, learning by rote to student-centred, activity-based pedagogy, striving to more participation and cooperation of learners, using a variety of teaching techniques, focusing on problem solving, reasoning, critical thinking and decision making.

The implementation of the renewed curriculum makes significant contribution to the improvement of the quality of education along with the upgrading of teacher's qualifications. Nevertheless, many problems must to be tackled.

By recognizing the objective necessity of social and economic development and the scientific and technological advancement, and leading international education experiences, Ministry of Education is proceeding to exert great efforts to carry out the reform process in order to integrating into the common trends of international education.

Abstract

This report aims to report the three waves of education reforms in Hong Kong and analyze the related challenges and strategies with a hope to draw international implications for ongoing policy debates and reform efforts in different parts of the Asia-Pacific Region.

The three waves of reforms represent paradigm shifts and different strategies in facing up challenges and pursuing educational effectiveness in changing local and international contexts. Since the 1970s, the first wave emphasized on internal effectiveness with the focus on internal process improvement through external intervention or input approach. Since the mid-1990s, the second wave pursued the interface effectivness in terms of school-based management, quality assurance and accountability, with very large scope and scale in reforms. The ongoing reforms are facing different types of intelligent, structural, social, political, and cultural constraints. With a very strong concern with relevance to the future, Hong Kong is also starting the third wave to pursue future effectiveness.

From a new paradigm, this presentation urges that the third wave of Hong Kong education reforms needs to build up a high level intelligent platform for educational practices at both school and system levels and to move towards triplization including globalization, localization, and individualization with airms to optimize the development of contextualized multiple intelligences of each student for the future in the new millennium.

Particularly, with the help of this new paradigm and the analysis of the constraints at both site and system levels, the report draws implications for developing intellectual, structural, social, political, and cultural strategies for education reforms, that can benefit both local and international education reforms in this new century.

Abstract

The New Zealand education system experienced significant reform throughout the 1990s. The process was part of a wider array of reforms in the public sector. It was preceded by lengthy deliberation about how education could be improved which was led from within the education sector itself, but the immediate stimulus for reform came from outside and the main impetus continued to be external to the education sector. The experience of students leaving the education system ill-equipped for modern labour markets was more important than intellectual developments.

The process extended from early childhood education, through schools, to tertiary education and beyond. Indeed, meeting the challenges of "lifelong education" was one of the most continual and controversial aspects of the reform process through the 1990s.

There continue to be many grumbles about "reform fatigue", and there is still a great deal of fine-tuning of the changes which were implemented. For example, the precise focus on the independent agency which was established to evaluate the a quality of learning in early childhood centres and schools is currently being revised. However, pressure for any significant reversal of the main reform process is now found only in the tertiary sector.

Parents and students now have more influence on major decisions about learning. There is a more conscious focus on learning rather than on teaching, and there is more deliberation on the role of learning in generating the skills, competences and capabilities required by current labour markets and democratic societies than there was before the 1990s. Reform was not, however, a discrete event, and it will continue for the foreseeable future with contested issues throughout the education system but varying in degree over time and in different parts of the system.

Abstract

1. OUTLINE OF JAPANESE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

(1) Organization of the Present School System
This chapter shows the organization of the Japanese present school system which includes Kindergartens, Elementary Schools, Lower Secondary Schools, Upper Secondary Schools, Universities, Junior Colleges and Colleges of Technology. These schools compose Jananese regular school system. Other than the regular schools, there exist Specialized Training Colleges and Miscellaneous Schools. They are designed to offer systematic programs of education aimed at developing in each student the abilities required for working or practical life.

(2) Characteristics of each Type of School.
This chapter shows the characteristics of each type of school which are not described above chapter, for example, qualifications for admission, main type of establishing body, requirement for graduation and so on.

(3) Historical Trends in Enrollment.
This chapter shows the historical trends in enrollment to Japanese schools in number and enrollment ratio relating to the GNP. It may suggest that enrollment to upper secondary schools and higher education institutes have been matured in Japan.

(4) Summary of School Statistics.
This chapter shows the numbers of schools, teachers and students by school type.

(5) Operational Relationship of Local Educational Agencies.
This chapter shows the relationship among the national educational agency, or Educational Ministry and local agencies (at prefectural and municipal level).

2. EDUCATIONAL REFORM OF JAPAN IN PAST

(1) Renovation of the Education of After World War II .
After World War II, educational reforms aimed

• Democratized educational systems
• Equality of the opportunity to access to the education
• 6-3-3-4 single truck school system
• Extension of the compulsory education from six-year to nine-year
• Establishment of local educational board system, etc.

These renovations have achieved remarkable expansion and development in education. In the same time, however, these raised a variety of problems such as negative effects of cram education, intensification of competition in school entrance examination, problem behavior of students and so on. These issues required educational systems to more adequately address social changes and cultural advancement.

(2) Target of Rinkyoshin.
Under these circumstances mentioned above, National Council on Educational Reform of "Rinkyoshin" presented in its four successive reports three basic concepts for current educational reform i) to place more emphasis on the importance of the individual; ii) to carry out the transition to a lifelong learning system and iii) to make the educational structures and practices correspond to such contemporary changes as internationalization and development toward an information oriented society.

(3) Educational Reform after Rinkyoshin.
Based on Rinkyoshin's reports and other educational councils' recommendations, the Ministry of Education has undertaken measures for implementing such educational reform as;

• Realization of lifelong learning society.
• Strengthening the linkage among schools, home and society.
• Encouragement of zest for living securing more room to grow for children,
• Adequate response to school bullying or school absenteeism.
• Promotion of the education which puts the emphasis on the students.

3. PRESENT EDUCATIONAL REFORM OF JAPAN

(1) Scope of Present Educational Reform.
Even the Rinkyoshin's reform tried to cover widely, the change of the society is rapider than our expectation. The new idea that is good for the children in 21st century to reform the education, therefore, was required. Then, the new commission named "the National Commission on Educational Reform" was set up and it proposed 17 items to reform the Japan's education.

(2)Rainbow Plan.
According to the 17 proposals from the commission, Japanese Educational Ministry summarized them into seven ideas and they called this plan the Rainbow Plan.

(3) National Campaign for Educational Reform.
In order to realize the idea of Rainbow Plan, Ministry of Education lunched many measures including so called "National Campaign for Educational Reform", in which the Educational Minister or other executives go around the nation to have direct exchange of view with people.

ENDING
Since middle of 1980's, Japan's education has experienced successive reforms and the ideas of these reforms have been always taken the place by new ones. However, the key concepts, that is, the education is the basis of the society, and the education should attach importance to individuals, has been kept. The newest one might not be the exception. Moreover, the newest plan has a large advantage to the old ones. That is, the Japanese Government has been emphasizing the "accountability to the nation." Even the way to the new education, therefore, may not meet peoples real intention, we will find alternatives with people's concent.

MAJOR MOVEMENTS OF EDUCATION REFORM IN CAMBODIA

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The Royal Government of Cambodia is making significant efforts to overcome the past and current constraints of ensuring quality Education For All (EFA). Like other countries in the region, Cambodia has recently completed its Education for All Assessment 2000, which has helped reflection on policy and strategy. The education reform thrust in Cambodia is to achieve Education for All as soon as possible, with a target date of around 2015. This is consistent with Cambodia's commitment to the Dakar Framework For Action of 2000.

The Government/MoEYS education reform policies and priorities are broadly consistent with overall poverty reduction strategies. The process of education reform has been carefully linked to the interim Poverty Reducation Strategic Plan (IPRSP) and Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP) prepared by Government in late 2000 and early 2001. The MoEYS priority is to provide equitable access to quality basic education. The Government/MoEYS recognizes that current financing policies are a constraint on implementing these pro-poor education policies and programs.

Planning The Education Reform Process
The movements in education reform in Cambodia are based on a serious evaluation of lessons learnt from early phases of development. This group highlighted other challenges facing education reform includes (a) unstated policy priorities and processes, (b) underdeveloped legislative and regulatory frameworks, and (c) underdeveloped sector monitoring and evaluation. The ongoing education policy review and development process, recent public expenditure reviews and other analysis, have indicated that a number of sectoral and cross cutting issues need to be resolved, including:

• Access/Equity, Reducing the Poverty Trap
• Quality Improvement, Reducing Rural/Urban Disparities
• Financial Management/Efficiency
• Institutions, Governance and Stakeholder Processes
• Capacity Building

The Key policy priority is to reduce the direct and indirect costs to parents for basic education from 50% share to 18% over the next five years. This will ensure that children from the poorest families can attend school. The key strategies will be to increase average teacher salaries by 50% over the next five years, alongside significant increases in school operational budgets. In developing the plan, MoEYS has taken account of the Governments broader decentralization and public administration reform policies. MoEYS has already been assured of assistance from some donors for this institutional strengthening.

The Ministry's forward planning also recognizes that the budget should be seen as an instrument of policy implementation rather than for system maintenance. Already, the education budget has been restructured for 2001 to implement these policies. The Priority Action Programs (PAPs) will focus on quality improvement, alongside new scholarships schemes for the children form poorer families. In addition the Ministry estimates that an additional 15,000 classrooms will also be needed over the next five years, The overall PAP policy and strategy directions over the next 5 years will be to help secure a pro-poor education financing strategy. The program priorities for 2001/5 can be summarized as:

• Salaries Reform
• Basic Education,
• Post Basic Education,
• Teacher Education,
• Monitoring Capacity Building
• Assuring Access for the Poor

The financing plan is also designed to implement performance-based pay reform policies. The priority will be to increase classroom teacher salaries, which is projected to double by 2005, including substantial increase over 2001/3. For non-teaching staff, the projected salary increase is around 75% by 2005, with a progressive 15% increase. Special incentives and increased differentiation in salary scales will be used, depending on performance of revised tasks and responsibilities.

A key feature is to secure efficiency gains in the use of staff and facilities, through a number of measures. The financing plan also incorporates increased public spending on quality improvement, including for textbooks. Another key feature of the ESP financing plan is to increase both the volume and share of non-wage recurrent spending, in order to secure sustainable quality improvement. It is projected that salary costs will roughly double from around Riels 126 billion in 2000 to around Riels 282 billion by 2005. In contrast, non-wage operational spending is projected to treble from around Riels 84 billion in 2001 to Riels 259 billion by 2005. The non-wage share is therefore projected to increase 34% to 48% over the ESP period 2001-2005.

The Ministry also recognizes that effective implementation of the ESP policies and strategies will require predictability of available resources. MoEYS, MEF and other key stakeholders in national and sub-national planning and budgeting processes will ensure that systems are strengthened in order to enable the Ministry to undertake effective medium-term planning, budgeting and priority program implementation. This includes the establishment of Education MTEF that will be integrated within MEF medium term financing projections.

Key Lessons from the Cambodia Education Reform Experience
A central responsibility of these joint MOEF/MOEYS financial working groups will be to facilitate an agreement on multi-annual financial targets and allocations for education priority programslinked directly to an annually adjusted medium term expenditure framework for education. These planning experiences have provided some key lessons that the Royal Government and The Ministry are learning from the policy review process and program development. The most important condition of sustainable reform is the highest-level commitment and leadership of the process, including mechanisms that ensure a shared understanding of the vision and mission amongst all stakeholders.

Abstract

Education in Australia has been in a state of continuous change for several decades. This change has been profound in many respects. There is a widely held view, however, that there has been much change but little reform. There are enduring concerns about the overall effectiveness of the system of education, especially when international comparisons are made across a range of indicators, including linkages between education and the requirements of a new economy in an era of globalization. There are major disparities in educational achievement for students in different communities. The system is under-resourced. Conflicts about public and private education have not been resolved. These issues will move to centre stage in 2001 with elections at the national level and in several states. Education is certain to be near the top of policy priorities and the positions taken by different parties may well determine the outcomes. This paper outlines the scope of these landmark debates that will help shape the framework for real reform in the first decade of the century.

Abstract

People are now living in a new era in which internationalization and globalization have become objective tendencies attracting more and more different people and countries to engage in the trend. Besides, the development of knowledge economy turns out to be meaningful resource which plays an important role in building prosperous economies of the world. But in the same time the above mentioned matters have probably been big challenges towards many countries, especially the developing
ones.

Vietnam has carried out the Renovation and Open-door Policy for over 15 years. (1986-2000). Despite of the encouraging achievements on socio-economic fields such as : fairly reaching high economic growth rate, improving people's living standard, enriching people's cultural and educational level, enhancing the literate percentage of people over 90%, etc. But, practically, Vietnamese people are still now facing serious threats. According to the report of the Central Committee of Vietnam Communist Party in the 9th Congress (April, 2001), it was emphasized about "the drawback of Vietnam economy in comparison with other countries in the region and in the world" and about "the poor quality of education and training towards people demands"…Due to the present situation of country, in order to overcome the big challenges and to develop desirably in the new era. Vietnam needs to boost the education reform and considers it as an urgent and important task. Education reform, especially higher education reform, should be the key factor in training a high quality human resource, bringing in an intellectual resource so as to help narrowing the gap of differences in the process of socio-economic development between Vietnam and the other countries in
the Asia-Pacific region and in the world.

Obviously, the issue of continuing higher education reform in Vietnam is not a simple and easy matter, It needs to be proceeded at the same time for various aspects so that it is able to meet the demand of industrialisation and modernization of Vietnam in the new period. The following issues are required to be reformed in Vietnamese higher education: fulfilling the objective, mission and vision of education; building up the policy and strategy of educational development in short-term and long-term running; enriching the quality of teaching and learning for enhancing the quality of training; renewing curricula and teaching methods; using the modern educational technology in training; reasonably developing the national network of universities; raising the autonomy of universities, etc.

Abstract

There is no doubt that high-quality education is the key to build a successful society in the 21st century of global competition and the knowledge-based society and economy. Various enthusiastic efforts and policy initiatives have been continued in teacher management in Korea since the 1980s. Because previous and current efforts made in Korea have been very intensive and nationwide, it might be an example of national trials to improve the quality of teacher pre-service training. The direction of teacher reform in Korea is two fold: one is quality control, the other is teacher empowerment. A good example of quality control effort is a periodic evaluation system for teacher training institutes since 1998. The example of teacher empowerment is "A Strategy Agenda for the Advancement of Teaching Professions" in 2000.

In the middle of the 1990s, the Presidential Commission on Education Reform began to work on a proposition for intensive educational reform in Korea with the perspective that achieving high quality education is at the very base of national prosperity. In its fourth official report (August 20, 1996), the Commission set up several important directions of teacher policy (Presidential Commission on Education Reform, 1996). The first key policy focus is on reforming the teacher pre-service training system to produce high quality teachers of expertise in subject areas and a high commitment to teaching. Based on the Commission"s proposal, the Ministry of Education had decided to introduce a periodic evaluation system for teacher training institutes. Accordingly, institutional evaluation system was launched in 1998 and the fourth year's plan is to be implemented in 2001.

In the beginning of 2000, The Ministry of Education proposed "A Strategy Agenda for the Advancement of Teaching Professions (draft)" in accord to the need mainly for a boost of moral in the profession. The existence of continuing trial only after several years of reform means that the government and the education society are not satisfied with the change in the teaching arena. It was supposed to be ratified to a final plan by September, 2000 after pubic and expert hearings, and policy studies by each agenda. However, its ratification has not been accomplished yet due to a strong opposition by some interest groups. Therefore, at this point, those agendas became very focus of the teaching society, and are waiting for final decision. The new agenda comprehends most of issues and alternatives that has been addressed and proposed by the professional society. The plan includes certification, initial training, in-service training, promotion, appraisal, working conditions, welfare systems, and so forth (Korean Ministry of Education, 1999). In a word, the agenda is a plan for teacher empowerment.

Regardless of various efforts during last two decades, achieving high quality of teacher force does not seem to be accomplished yet. Yet, it seems to be on-going and very complicated business. Doubts still remain about the quality of teacher professionalism. The lessens from the Korean experience is that efforts and initiatives led by the government always have yield limitations in accomplishing expected purposes. In this article, numerous efforts to improve teacher professionalism for last five years are to be outlined, focusing on quality control. At the same time, on-going agenda which aims teacher empowerment is to be reviewed. Finally remaining problems and issues are to be examined.

Abstract

The educational reform through the advancement of higher education has long been a major concern of various stakeholders in Korea. The economic crisis that Korea faced at the end of 1997 has brought considerable changes in society and education. Recognizing the importance of life-time cultivation of job capability for the changing job market in the 21st century, the Korean government came to delegate more responsibilities to its universities. In particular, the government launched "Brain Korea 21" (BK 21) project, a national-level higher education reform project to prepare high quality Korean human resources for the forthcoming knowledge-based society.

In the presentation, the BK 21 project is described in terms of specific objectives, strategies, fields of the project, key personnel, and so on. Then, some criticisms and resistance from Korea itself and abroad will be pointed out with relation to the ideation and the implementing processes of BK 21 project. In addition, in spite of such skeptical thoughts and challenges, major accomplishments of the BK 21 project will be presented and their significance will be discussed. In conclusion, it is posited that Korea's academic aspirations for a world-class university is on its way of realization through the BK 21 project.

Abstract

During the past decade, Luxembourg made substantial efforts to reform its educational system. This reform process started in 1990 with a reform of the vocational education system (PROF project). The main goal of the reform was to increase the quality of the adaptation of the education system to the needs required in professional life. In order to reach this goal a methodology was developed to analyze these needs, to define educational goals precisely and to develop adequate curricula. This methodology was used to implement new curricula for electricians, electronics technicians, industrial mechanics, automobile mechanics and office workers. Beyond the definition of new curricula, the project dealt with new teaching and learning methods. Problems encountered while defining goals of general education led to a specialized project (PERICLES) on general (secondary) education in 1993. At the end of project PROF in 1994 it became clear that after such a reform, the assessment procedures both at a test level and at the level of final examinations had to be adapted to new curricula. The project PROOF (1994-1998) developed new assessment procedures for the above mentioned fields. The late 90s confronted both decision makers and researchers with the increasing importance of Information and Communication Technology. Different projects have been planned to cope with this challenge: The most important project, "Computer for Every Student", aims at providing every student with a laptop and thus improving the learning process in a one-to-one paradigm of computer assisted learning. Beyond the use of the computer as a learning tool, a major goal of the project is to prepare the students for the challenges of a new digital economy.

The basic rationale for all the projects is to reach a better fit between curricula and the requirements of the "outside world". The presentation will describe the different projects, document the theoretical background and present the results of the project evaluations. At the very end, research challenges and political challenges related to the very recent "Computer for Every Student".

Abstract

In this 21st century, Indonesian live in a world, which is intensely worrying, yet full of promise for the future. It is a world of rapid changes, marked by economic crisis, information flood through multimedia, destabilization of harmony between local and global cultures, unhelpful onslaught of modern technology on the natural environment, and unsupportive strike of knowledge-based economy on traditional, low-educated or unskilled workers, and of course an implementation of a regional autonomy.

Conditions in Indonesia are changing rapidly. Teachers, parents and children face those changes in their everyday life including in schools. Therefore, our students need to learn how to live and to cope with complexity, uncertainty, and diversity. Students face a diversity of experience of different cultures - from the diverse ethnic groups in our society and from technologically and globally driven changes to our culture. Expansion of communication and information technologies leads to a competitive world that increases a necessity of high qualification and skilled employees. Thus, a teacher will no longer be a single expert of knowledge in a classroom. Electronic learning and virtual class provide ready access to support student learning.

Education plays a significant role in the lives of children as they grow and develop. Education prepares young Indonesian people to make the transition to an independent adult life. If Indonesian wants access to the benefits of the knowledge economy and has a democratic country of the future, education has to ensure achievement of high competencies and strong character or the school leavers.

The costs for education of the transition to a knowledge economy and a democratic society include building new skills and attitudes needed for work and a social life in the information age. Providing a foundation for lifelong learning, character building, problem solving and critical thinking and developing the flexibility to manage change are key factors for curriculum reform. Consequently, learning activities have to contribute to the foundations for a skilled workforce confident in its ability to compete in future global markets.

The consequent of regional autonomy for education is a district-based education planning, management and quality assurances. This is not a simple shift from a centralized to a decentralized educational planning and practices. A well-prepared and well-informed district-based education system is not yet being established. However, there is a possibility of controlling our destiny and shaping our lives for better through national education reform.

The most promising aspect in the national education reform is the enhancement of national education system to become a powerful and charismatic social structure that ensures the development of a good quality of Indonesian citizen. Milestones of the reform consist of equity and justice for education, learning reform, management reform, empowering community participation, and information technology (IT). The implementation of these milestones are implemented in the following nine strategies:

1. Implementation of educational autonomy management,
2. Implementation of compulsory education,
3. Development of competency based curriculum,
4. Implementation of open education system,
5. Improvement of professional development,
6. Development of 'educating' school facilities and learning resources
7. Fair and justice educational finance system
8. Empowering community participation, and
9. Implementation of assessment and accreditation system which empower students for better quality of learning.

For the purpose of the First International Forum Educational Reform, I will focus my presentation on the development of competency-based curriculum.

Abstract

The absolutely crucial role of education in the modern global economy becomes evermore apparent. Yet educational practices deeply steeped in each country's cultural history can be slow to change. Educational reform has to start with the need for change but alongside the articulation of problems and issues there needs to be a well thought through strategy. For future developments proposed aims and strategies need to be presented to a range of audiences: business and the community, the general public, educational institutions and the student.
And there should be consultation to build commitment and sustainability.
Recent reforms and changes in higher education will be used to illustrate how educational policies and practises are evolving in the UK. Among the aspects discussed will be; the funding of university innovation in teaching and learning, quality assurance, research policies, as well as the direct impact of universities on the economy.

An agenda for change poses a challenge to governance and management of universities questions relating to leadership, competition, collaboration, autonomy and accountability will be addressed.

A piece-meal reform of education is unlikely to be effective. Reforms in the different sectors of education need to be linked. Changes in UK schools, colleges and work-based learning will be briefly reviewed.

Abstract

The presentation will analyse the ever-changing environment which universities face. Growth in student numbers, pressure on resources, globalisation and IT developments have increased the internationalisation of higher education and intensified competition across the world. The scale, pace and nature of change call for new strategies and new approaches on the part of university managers. Two key concepts will be examined: first, institutional autonomy and the opportunities and challenges it offers, and, second, the universities' accountability to the societies of which they are part. Eddie Newcomb will draw on the UK experience in exemplifying different aspects of this theme.