Indonesia, Australia Build 2,727 Schools In Remote Areas

Jakarta, Nov 29 (Antara) - The Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture has been working closely with the Australian Government for over a decade to build 2,727 schools for junior high, provide 10,175 classes and create 366,300 seats for new students. A statement issued by the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and received by Antara here on Tuesday said Australia and Indonesia on Tuesday commemorated a decade of joint achievement in building schools in remote areas across the country. Australian Chargé d'affaires Justin Lee pointed out that creating hundreds of thousands of opportunities for Indonesian children to go to school is a major milestone that both the countries have achieved through this partnership. The next step, according to him, is to ensure that teachers and principals have access to good training to qualify better to play a more effective role. "Our work with the Indonesian educators now is to empower principals and teachers to learn more about the latest concepts in order to improve learning for children as well as create a positive school culture through various programs," Lee stressed. For more than a decade, Australia has been working with Indonesia to achieve its national goals in creating access to education for all children to pass the ninth grade (junior high level). As of now, the junior high school enrollment has increased from 88 percent in 2006 to 100 percent in 2015. The one decade of cooperation in education between Indonesia and Australia has been commemorated by a photo exhibition showing schools that have been built in the country.