JAKARTA – USAID PRIORITAS has implemented a capacity development program which includes training and mentoring of teachers, school principals, and supervisors, as well as supporting the activities of teachers working groups at the school and cluster level, in order to develop active learning, a reading culture and school-based management (SBM). Besides this, USAID PRIORITAS has also supported the development of inclusive education that takes individuals' differences into account in learning.
Various kinds of progress can be seen in the schools, including teachers acting as facilitators in encouraging interaction among students, giving the students varied assignments and challenging them to act and think, using discussions, experiments, observations, and problem solving.
When learning, students use high-level thinking skills, employing a variety of learning resources, working cooperatively in groups, producing work which is the result of their own ideas, and displaying their work in the classrooms. Meanwhile, the results of the implementation of SBM, participatory school management, the involvement of teachers, committees and communities, have resulted in greater transparency and accountability.
To disseminate the experiences of these primary and junior secondary schools, USAID PRIORITAS has published a book on good practices containing examples of the successes of schools in teaching and learning, developing a reading culture, and SBM. The publication of these books is intended as an inspiration to other schools in Indonesia. (Anw)