Radio Talk Shows Promote Education Reform in Indonesia

In Sulawesi, Indonesia, one radio station’s broadcast range covers hundreds of secondary schools across six regents and two provinces. For English teacher Nurhalis Lauselang, this station’s capacity to reach a vast audience at a low cost presented an opportunity to engage his community in a dialogue that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.

Changes in Education
The dialogue that Lauselang had in mind was centered on enhancing teaching practices in Sulawesi’s secondary schools. In 2006, a new national education policy granted Indonesian schools more control over the way teaching and learning occurs. School districts were now empowered to tailor their curriculum to their student’s needs and to explore different styles of classroom management, lesson planning, pedagogy and more. What had once been mandated at the national level was being decentralized to districts and individual schools. According to Lauselang, “the expected changes actually require a paradigm shift -- changes in the mindset, tools, and behavior of individuals in schools and classrooms. Considering that the old paradigm has been in practice for a long time, such changes are difficult. They take time; we have to go through intensive and deep discussion.”

Shifting the Paradigm
To encourage this paradigm shift, Lauselang conceived of a series of radio programs that would take an in-depth look at the potential for introducing new methods in Sulawesi schools. With previous radio experience as a program and production manager, Lauselang possessed the skill set to make his vision possible.

The Regent Office of Education lent their support, agreeing to link the broadcast recordings on their website and obligating local school principals and teachers to tune in and actively participate. After successfully applying for and receiving a ILEP Alumni Small Grant to support the purchase of broadcast air time, production costs, transportation for guests, and an open telephone line for listeners to call in, Lauselang broadcasted a series of fifteen radio shows throughout 2010. Guests included professors from schools of education, district education officials, and a retired high school principal. Each 90-minute broadcast included 30 minutes for listeners’ questions. Approximately 1,050 teachers in Sulawesi and 750 teachers in other regions identified themselves as listeners to the radio talk shows. As a result of this success and popularity, the Regent Office of Education has agreed to provide financial support for a new series of education radio talk shows during 2011.

Nurhalis Lauselang is an alumnus of the International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP). ILEP is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State, implemented by IREX.

Photo source