Questions/Answers

Before this initiative, Luwu Utara in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, faced a fundamental problem in education quality at public schools, primarily due to uneven distribution of teachers between urban and rural schools. Teacher placement was strongly influenced by politics rather than school needs. As a short-term measure to address this deficiency, many schools hired short-term contract teachers whose salaries were paid for directly by the schools without sufficient attention to their qualifications or competence. Around 110,000 children live in Luwu Utara – in 2012, 96% attended primary school, 78% junior high school, and 63% senior high school – yet only 47.76% of primary schools had a full teaching cohort. The district government decided to implement a series of programs to overcome this problem, beginning in 2013. The first part involved analyse data and conducting proportional teacher distribution (PTD), redistributing 128 primary teachers to under-served schools. A multi-stakeholder forum (Forum for the Promotion of Education) was established to observe implementation and provide feedback, while local NGOs held regular discussions called ‘democracy café’ to debate education and other public services. Provocative speakers such as journalists, teachers, members of the election commission, and members of NGOs met to drink coffee, eat snacks and passionately debate issues of basic education. Debates were broadcast live on a local radio station to ensure information reached people throughout Luwu Utara. In 2016, the first ‘children’s development forum’ was held as part of the annual district planning process, with a focus on gaining children’s input on education services. In 2017, two new programs were introduced when evaluation showed teacher quality remained a problem: Graduates who Teach, encouraging teachers to move to remote areas by providing financial incentives, and SK300, funding 300 teachers to complete Bachelor degrees. The local government also ran an open selection to recruit 800 new teachers.

The objectives aimed to increase the number and capacity of teachers at primary schools in Luwu Utara, and to ensure teaching staff are proportionally spread throughout the district. Through financially supporting teachers with diplomas to gain their Bachelor degrees, the local government can be assured that teachers’ skills will improve, and they will be better equipped to implement the national curriculum and meet national service standards. Additionally, if primary schools have a full teaching staff, students will receive a complete education in all subjects, fully covering both the required material and learning hours. The programs also aimed to increase public participation in planning and oversight of public services. By establishing, supporting, and regularly working with the Forum for the Promotion of Education, as well as being open to participating in and receiving suggestions from the democracy café, the government of Luwu Utara can implement programs and policies that are more responsive to community needs. The ultimate goals of Luwu Utara’s education initiatives are to improve the quality of primary education services and to ensure 100% of children attended primary school. This second target was achieved in 2017; the first will require a longer period of time to properly assess.

This series of initiatives fits well within category 2, as the public participation element is very strong. By establishing the children’s development forum, and through actively participating in civil society-initiated initiatives such as the Forum for the Promotion of Education and the democracy café, the Luwu Utara government successfully engages citizens in preparing and implementing decisions, programs, and policies. The results of their discussions and monitoring visits improve education services across the district, particularly for poor and vulnerable people in under-served and remote areas. The children’s development forum in particular is a valuable way of ensuring public services are inclusive – children participating in previous fora have put forward complaints such as teachers who use their mobile phones instead of teaching and heavy household workloads leading students to be late to school (such as having to manually de-husk rice before leaving home in the morning). These processes promote participatory decision-making and ensure community needs are put forward directly to those responsible from the local government.

Luwu Utara’s initiatives reflect three elements of SDG 4: Goal 4.1 which aims to have all boys and girls complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education; Goal 4.6 which aims for all youth to achieve literacy and numeracy; and Goal 4.C which aims to substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers. The initiatives improves the amount and quality of education available at the primary and secondary level, through the already-achieved redistribution of 128 primary teachers, providing financial incentives for teachers to move to remote areas (50 teachers moved in 2017, 62 currently preparing to move in 2018), investing in teacher housing development (IDR 600 million [US$45,000 allocated in 2013)?), and financially supporting 300 teachers to complete their Bachelor degrees (IDR 1.68 billion [US$125,000] allocated in 2018). The government spends over 20% of its annual budget on education services, including teacher salaries and incentives; this is higher than all other districts in Indonesia except Jakarta.

The initiatives implemented between 2013 and 2017 by the government of Luwu Utara address inequalities in education services in the district. This is a significant challenge in Indonesia, as quality of education varies significantly not only from one district to another but even between different schools in the same district. This is due to a range of reasons, including a lack of teachers, a lack of qualified teachers, poor implementation and oversight of national minimum service standards and curricula, and low salaries for teaching staff. Additionally, some of the sub-districts are very far away from the capital city, leading to a lack of teachers wishing to live and work there; some areas such as Rampi require a two-day drive on a motorbike over unpaved mountain roads to reach, even though it is only 86km in distance. Luwu Utara is dealing with these through providing extra financial incentives for teachers who move to remote areas; investing in the development of teacher housing; financially supporting teachers studying for their Bachelor degree; improving oversight through multi-stakeholder fora; and redistributing teachers from over-served to under-served schools. This has led to an improvement in schools’ capacities to provide education in line with national standards.

The rate of children dropping out of primary school in Luwu Utara fell from 2.3% in 2012 to 0.39% in 2016; for secondary school children, it fell from 15.87% to 6.53% over the same period. The total participation rate also increased between 2012 and 2017 for both primary and secondary school, from 96.42% to 100% and 78.14% to 93.58% respectively. Primary school students are now receiving more face-to-face hours with teachers, especially in remote areas. Schools can also implement the full national curriculum, as they have better capacity to fulfil the minimum number of teaching and learning sessions. Additionally, teachers’ careers, incomes, and training opportunities have improved. Teachers who agree to move to remote areas receive an extra payment of IDR 1-2 million (US$75-150) per month, which represents an extra 25-50% on their base salary, while those in previously over-staffed schools can now teach a full teaching load, which enables them to receive government certification and a salary boost. Teachers in remote areas also have fast-track promotion opportunities. Altogether, these initiatives lead to improved teacher satisfaction, which in turn improves how they teach in the classroom and thus education outcomes.

Each of the teacher-related programs implemented by the Luwu Utara government is innovative for Indonesia. Only a handful of other districts in Indonesia had successfully implemented PTD at the time, due to the inherent political difficulties in doing so: the then-Deputy District Head (now District Head) was even threatened with a gun by the husband of a teacher who was to be redistributed. To our knowledge, no other districts in Indonesia provide financial support for government-employed teachers to complete their Bachelor degrees; the Luwu Utara government gives 300 teachers with diplomas IDR 300,000 (US $25) per month to finish their Bachelor degree. Many of Luwu Utara’s citizen participation initiatives are also innovative within the context of Indonesia. The democracy café has assisted the district’s citizens to become more knowledgeable about public services and how to demand improvements, especially as the debates are broadcast on local radio throughout the district. Citizen involvement in planning has also increased through the annual Children’s Development Forum, held in each sub-district before culminating in a district-level forum with children representing each sub-district; the district forum is attended by the District Head so that she can hear directly from Luwu Utara’s children.

The idea for proportional teacher distribution is not new. It has been recognised as a good practice by the national government and widely discussed at public service conferences and expos across the country; a number of districts in Indonesia had previously tried to implement it. However, few were successful, primarily due to political issues relating to the redistribution of teachers. Luwu Utara was one of the first district in Indonesia to manage to redistribute teachers on a large scale (128 at once). It did this by opening up a partnership with civil society, sharing information on the educational situation in the district, and opening doors for participation in finding a solution through public dialogue. The District Head (previously as Vice District Head until 2016) also adapted good practices from other parts of Indonesia. She gave the role of oversight to a group of NGOs and communities to monitor and report back on the progress and impact of teacher redistribution and training. This way, the District Head ensured broad support for the redistribution policy, including gaining the local parliament’s approval for the annual budget.

The government of Luwu Utara has and continues to invest a significant amount of money in improving education quality. The following expenditures were made between 2012 and 2018: Teacher redistribution: IDR 148 million (US$11,100) in 2012, IDR 160 million (US$12,800) in 2013; Teacher housing development in remote areas: IDR 60 million (US$4,500) in 2013; Luwu Utara government support for FAKTA, a local NGO, to conduct a series of public discussions on the initiative: IDR 24 million (US$1,800) in 2012; Luwu Utara government support for LPKIPI, a local NGO, to train the District Education Office on data collection, verification, and analysis: IDR 50 million (US$4,000) in 2012; Luwu Utara support for Indonesian Teachers’ Assocation to provide professional development for teachers: IDR 110 million (US$8,800) in 2012; Luwu Utara funding for Gradutes who Teach program: IDR 750 million (US$60,000) in 2017, IDR 1.83 billion (US$144,000) in 2018; and Luwu Utara funding for 300 teachers to complete their Bachelor degrees (SK 300): IDR 450 million (US$36,000) in 2017, IDR 1.68 billion (US$125,000) in 2018. The overall budget for education in Luwu Utara was IDR 243 billion (US$18 million) in 2017, representing 20% of the district’s total budget.

Yes

Yes. Proportional teacher distribution is strongly encouraged by the national government and many attempts at dissemination have been made by the Ministry of Education and various development partners. Only a handful of districts have achieved teacher redistribution; among them, Luwu Utara is the most outstanding example. Luwu Utara has been building up smart practices in teacher distribution for other districts to learn from, and so far, two other districts have copied their approach (Barru in South Sulawesi and Bener Meriah in Aceh).

The initiatives are sustainable as long as government funding continues, which is almost certain under the current leadership. Economically, they do require significant funding, but the District Head is fully committed to the programs, as they are a continuation of what she initiated as Deputy District Head. Teachers and school principals strongly support the program, as does the community, members of which are involved in oversight and monitoring systems such as the multi-stakeholder forum. It is important to note that the newer programs (such as Graduates who Teach) are a continuation of the proportional teacher distribution initiative, and resulted from monitoring and evaluation results of redistribution. This shows the district will sustain its focus on improving the quality of education services.

The District Head, Indah Putri Indriani, was elected in 2016 and will serve until 2021. She can stand for a second term after that. The current initiatives (such as Graduates who Teach and SK 300) will be finished by the end of Indah’s current term, ensuring that the programs will be fully implemented. She is also committed to joint planning, implementation, and evaluation activities over this period. In addition, a number of district regulations have been published to ensure the sustainability of the program. District Head Regulation no. 28/2012 on Proportional Teacher Distribution requires the district to ensure teachers are adequately distributed across the district, while the process for redistribution was formalized in the District Education Office Head Decree no. 47/2012. The SK300 program is also institutionalised, with a District Head Decree issued in September 2017 to ensure teachers receive their monthly financial support to complete their Bachelor degrees. In conjunction with the oversight responsibilities of the local government, the Forum for the Promotion of Education also regularly conducts monitoring and evaluation activities and cooperates with citizen journalists to document changes as a result of the initiatives. The recommendations were submitted to the local government to complete its evaluation of the initiative.

Yes

Implementation of proportional teacher distribution in Luwu Utara was partially supported by USAID; USAID provided technical assistance but no financial contribution. From April to September 2017, 12 months after the closure of its Kinerja project (2010 – 2016), USAID Indonesia conducted a qualitative assessment to learn about the sustainability of this program in 12 sub-national governments in three provinces, including Luwu Utara. Consultations were conducted with relevant stakeholders to collect insights and knowledge, and to learn about their experience with the Kinerja program. Stakeholders in this assessment included policy makers (District Head, District Secretary), mid-level bureaucrats (Head of District Education Office, Head of Local Planning Agency), providers of frontline service delivery (school principals), and civil society including members of the democracy café and the Forum for the Promotion of Education.

The assessment team found that a large number of practices and innovations introduced in Luwu Utara were sustainable. Strong political commitment is displayed by the District Head, office heads, and heads of the various service units such as schools. In the view of the District Head, sustainability is the result of a shared understanding among government officials, based on joint planning, implementation, and evaluation of government activities and programs. Government employee skills have been strengthened to recognize community needs and to act upon them. Regulations such as District Head Decrees and guidelines/standard operating procedures have been generally well-internalised by office heads. Office heads confirmed that the efficiency and performance of their offices have been increasing and that transparency and accountability have greatly improved. No additional fees or bribes have been reported. Civil society engagement in Luwu Utara continues to be strong, and the Forum for the Promotion of Education remains active and has even expanded to discuss other development and public services issues, not just education. It now regularly provides input to a variety of government offices, including the District Education Office and the Local Planning Agency.

Indicators used by USAID in its assessment were Political Commitment, Presence of Champions, Enabling Legal Framework, Enforcement of National Policies, and Continuous Citizen Engagement. Each of the five key factors was measured through three indicators showing the intensity of the factor: Factor Indicator I. Political Commitment 1. Committed and reform-minded Bupati/Walikota 2. Commitment translated into a sound vision/mission priority & budget allocation 3. Commitment shared by senior government officials II. Presence of Champions 1. Office Heads championing reform and innovation 2. Heads of service units championing reform and innovation 3. Citizens/CSOs championing reform and innovation III. Enabling Legal Framework 1. SK Bupati, Perbup, Perda passed 2. Legal framework communicated and enforced 3. Legal framework regularly reviewed and modified IV. Enforcement of National Policies 1. National policies complemented by local policies 2. National priorities communicated to stakeholders at the local level 3. Communication network on innovations with the national level exists V. Continuous Citizen Engagement 1. Existence of CSOs working on governance/policy issues 2. Active Participation of citizens/CSOs in local government activities 3. Established cooperation between local government and citizens/CSOs Luwu Utara rated excellent on all criteria, and was given the highest score of all assess districts for sustainability.

Many different stakeholders were and continue to be involved in the implementation of teacher redistribution, Graduates who Teach, and SK300, including members of the local government, community, and mass media. A comprehensive list is included below: Local government: •District Head and Vice-District Head •District Council/Parliament •District Secretary •District Education Office •District Planning Agency •District Human Resources and Training Agency •Head of Legal Bureau •Head of Organizational Management Department •Head of Public Relations •Technical Implementation Unit from the District Education Office The local government officials who comprised the technical team that drafted the district head regulation and implementing guidelines for proportional teacher distribution were also responsible for collecting, analysing, and verifying the data used to calculate the teacher redistribution needs. Community members: •Professional Teachers Associations: National Teachers Association and the Indonesian Teachers Association •Community and religious leaders •Luwu Utara Education Council •NGOs: FAKTA, LPKIPI, LPERAK Community members and local government officials actively participated in dissemination and promotion activities such as interactive dialogues at the democracy café, live radio shows on Adira radio station, and in print media. Debates at the democracy café involved civil society and government representatives to discuss pressing public service issues, primarily education, and identify solutions to challenges before discussing them with the District Education Office and/or the District Head. The democracy café has been consistently running since 2012 and remains active in debating major development problems. It is well-respected by the District Head and her government, and frequently provides input on new programs and policies. Media: •Palopo Pos (newspaper) •Ujungpandang Express (newspaper) •Semangat Pagi (radio) •Radio Adira (radio) •Jurnal Celebes (website) Citizen journalists also documented the efforts made by the local government to address teacher shortages and absenteeism. Local government public relations officers and journalists were particularly interested in promoting articles from citizen journalists.

• Commitment of local government leaders is crucial in ensuring that education initiatives are sustainable and well-implemented. A high-level government champion (e.g. District Head) can help to ensure that essential inter-sectoral cooperation takes place. • Local governments should recognise that their capacity is limited and they may require technical assistance from civil society. • Transparency is a precondition for citizen participation. Citizens can react when they understand the situation and have a complete picture of the issues. • It is necessary to have an independent outlet through which the community can raise its concerns and perform public oversight. • Teacher distribution and qualification data needs to be regularly updated to avoid the need major ad hoc adjustments. • Capacity building of civil society and multi-stakeholder fora is important for continued oversight. • Support from the local legislative body is important in order to secure budgetary resources, and supportive regulations. The key to the success of this program was effective two-way communication between the local government and the public. Recommendations to ensure effective communication between the two entities include: •All local government-led activities must actively involve members of the public. •Public participation should be further institutionalised through regular meetings, consultations, planning processes, and complaint mechanisms. •Local government should embrace transparent publication and sharing of information. •Minimize the “politicization of education” through the use of evidence-based policy making and transparent procedures.