AMBASSADOR MEETING WITH MINISTER OF NATIONAL

UNCLAS JAKARTA 013494 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP AIDAC FOR ANE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ID SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETING WITH MINISTER OF NATIONAL EDUCATION ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Ambassador Pascoe met with Minister of National Education Dr. Bambang Sudibyo on December 11 to discuss President Bush's six-year, $157 million Indonesia Education Initiative. Minister Sudibyo complained that he was not familiar with the U.S. program and had not been able to effectively brief President Yudhoyono prior to President Bush's November 20 visit to Indonesia. Ambassador Pascoe reviewed the major elements of President Bush's education initiative, being carried out by USAID and the Public Affairs Section. He underscored the on-going partnership with the Ministry at the national, provincial and local level, and presented key results of the program since its April 2005 start. Minister Sudibyo raised three concerns: insufficient written reports to the Ministry; a desire to increase control over where the program operates; and U.S. funds should be channeled through the Ministry of Finance. In response, the Ambassador welcomed more GOI engagement in evaluating the program, but cautioned that re-designing the successful program, which directly supports the Ministry's own policy and strategy for education reform, would be misguided. End Summary ¶2. (SBU) Ambassador Pascoe met with Minister of National Education, Dr. Bambang Sudibyo, on December 11. The meeting followed President Bush's November 20 visit to Indonesia during which President Bush and President Yudhoyono highlighted the partnership between the U.S. and Indonesia on revitalizing the education system for the next generation of Indonesia's leaders. ¶3. (SBU) Ambassador Pascoe presented the major components of the $157 million President Bush Indonesia Education Initiative and the key results achieved since its inception in April 2005. Designed in close collaboration with the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the initiative directly responds to GOI priorities by: helping local governments and communities effectively manage decentralized education; enhancing the quality of teaching and learning to improve student performance; providing youth with relevant work and life skills to better compete for jobs; and supporting higher education exchanges and opportunities to study intensive English in the United States. ¶4. (SBU) The Minister stated that he and his staff were not aware of President Bush's Indonesia Education Initiative. Therefore, he had been unable to effectively brief President Yudhoyono prior to President Bush's visit. The Ambassador reviewed the strong on-going partnership with the Ministry of National Education at the central, provincial and local level in implementing the program. Activities under the program directly support the Ministry's policies and strategic plan for education reform, in areas such as teacher professional development, early childhood education, education management and finance, and relevant formal and equivalency education for youth. Following this, one of the Minister's colleagues in the meeting, holding a set of fact sheets on the U.S. education program, admitted that he and other Ministry of National Education staff regularly participate in meetings on the U.S. education program. ¶5. (SBU) The Minister raised three concerns. He complained that he has not received sufficient written reports regarding program implementation. The Ambassador pledged to increase written reporting to the Ministry. Stating that Indonesia should decide who benefits from the education program, not the U.S., the Minister expressed a desire for increased Ministry control and involvement in strategic decisions. The Ambassador explained that all districts and schools are selected through participatory consultation with Ministry of National Education and Ministry of Religious Affairs officials at the provincial and district level, based on criteria and guidelines set by these Ministries along with the Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare at the national level. ¶6. (SBU) This process reflects the decentralized system in Indonesia and the Ministry of National Education's own stated policy to facilitate the transfer of education service delivery to the local level, while providing standards and policy guidance from Jakarta. At the heart of this concern is the Minister's regret that the U.S. education program is authorized under a bilateral agreement with the Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare rather than his Ministry. This decision was made both for coordination purposes given the array of GOI ministries involved in the education sector, but also due to concerns about corruption within the Ministry of National Education. The Minister's third issue related to the nature of USG assistance funds. He argued that U.S. funds should be channeled through the Ministry of Finance and be reflected in the national budget. [Note: Dr. Sudibyo was Minister of Finance during the Wahid administration.] This is a common misperception and the Ambassador explained that as grant funding, not loan funding or direct budget support, U.S. assistance is off-budget and implemented via bilateral agreements with relevant GOI ministries. ¶7. (SBU) In discussing his meeting with President Yudhoyono, the Minister implied that there was a need to rethink and restructure President Bush's Indonesia Education Initiative. The Ambassador reiterated that the U.S. education program directly supports the Minister's own policies and objectives for the education sector, was designed together with the Ministry, and that re-designing a successful program which is operating in 1,000 schools, has trained over 25,000 educators to date, and has assisted 400,000 students, would only be a disservice to the many teachers, parents and children benefiting from President Bush's initiative. The Ambassador also noted that the education program is a major component of the USG assistance program in Indonesia and reflects the strong U.S.-Indonesia partnership. PASCOE