- 14/04/2017
- Category: Commentaries
Statistics on education in Indonesia is concerning. Only 20% of teachers are distributed in rural areas, while the remaining 80% teach in the cities.[i] According to a 2015 global rankings on student performance by OECD, out of 72 countries, Indonesia placed an alarming 65th for math literacy, 66th for reading literacy and 64th for science literacy.[ii] These statistics shows just how urgent the educational issues in Indonesia needs addressing. To improve this condition, many education technology (edtech) startups have been developed to provide education services online (e-learning) that are more accessible and affordable. Among the most popular e-learning platforms in Indonesia are Kelase, Ruangguru, HarukaEdu, Quipper and Zenius.[iii] Many other edtech startups have emerged and have generated a lot of downloads, indicating high demand and increased usage.
These e-learning apps are mostly tailored and marketed towards high school students because students at this level make up most of the apps’ users. High school students face important tests in their final years such as national examinations (UN) and university entrance exams, which is why a significant portion of students seek extra lessons outside schools. Some of these e-learning apps are free to use, while others require paid subscriptions. However, the price of these subscribe-to-use apps is not as high as intensive tuition courses. Ruangguru costs Rp. 349,000 every six months[iv] and Quipper costs Rp. 790,000 per year,[v] while intensive courses can range from Rp. 700,000-1 million monthly.[vi] The affordability of e-learning apps compared to intensive courses can explain why many students prefer to use these apps when preparing for exams, for example.
Consideration for the use of edtech is its notable advantages. These apps are highly accessible since they can be accessed from devices anytime and anywhere. Since standard smartphones have become cheaper – and more people have begun to own one[vii] – E-Learning apps can have a wider outreach potential to students in rural areas. Those who can’t afford intensive tuition courses can make use of the gadgets that they already have to access learning materials and study better.
Another advantage of e-learning is that the user can choose the lesson materials that suit their needs – making it more personalized, relevant, and giving them the ability to set the preferred learning pace.[viii] Since the contents can be accessed anytime and anywhere, it provides quicker delivery cycle times compared to traditional classroom-based learning. This is very beneficial for students since the issue of less qualified school teachers and educators are apparent in many places here. E-learning apps could also assist students that have troubles in understanding learning materials due to the persistent issue of Indonesia’s classrooms being too full of students and less private. Meanwhile, many students reveal to have a better chance at understanding study materials when they are tutored privately or placed in a small-group learning environment. This is where edtech apps offer a way out as students can earn the personal space essential to their learning process.
One example of an edtech startup that is very popular in Indonesia is Quipper. This app provides high school learning materials that are based on the national education curriculum. By offering free and paid content, it aims to assist students in passing UN and university entrance exams. The result shows that Quipper has helped students performed remarkably in 2016.[ix] Around 58% of its users achieved an average score of above 400 for UN 2016, which is very good. The remaining 42% made an average score of around 330-400, which is above average. For university entrance examinations, 44% of Quipper’s users were accepted at top public universities through SNMPTN (selection based on students’ school grades), while 50% got into top public universities as well through SBMPTN (written tests). These results show that a significant percentage of Quipper’s users in Indonesia performed well in tests and were able to enter prestigious public universities here. Even though Quipper is just one single app, it is not entirely different than other e-learning apps because of the similar features and advantages that these kinds of apps offer. Therefore, we can see that e-learning apps are capable of assisting students with their education.
Although smartphone usage in Indonesia is on the rise, edtech startups still face challenges in delivering accessible education for all. Not only does disparity persists in the distribution of the teaching workforce, but our technology and telecommunication infrastructure between rural and metropolitan areas are still imbalanced, where many rural parts of Indonesia still lacks adequate cellular service.[x] Expansion of network coverage to remote parts of Indonesia is necessary for students to be able to use e-learning apps for learning and preparing themselves for tests. A massive task for the government and schools alike is improving the quality of teaching staff and facilities, so that students’ do not only rely on courses and learning materials outside of classrooms to pass tests. Rather, they should look to classroom-based lessons as the primary place to learn, since quality teaching in schools reflects a healthy education system and a good human development index in general. Government and schools shall also innovate in ways learning experiences can be forged in schools, especially with the stream of technological advancement. Moreover, the rise of e-learning apps should not make teachers forget their responsibility to deliver quality teaching in schools – the primary place for students to learn.
Picture: Pixabay
[i] Syukro, R. (2013). Kesenjangan Guru di Kota dan Desa Masih Tinggi. [online] BeritaSatu.com. Available at: http://www.beritasatu.com/pendidikan/123153-kesenjangan-guru-di-kota-dan-desa-masih-tinggi.html [Accessed 13 Apr. 2017].
[ii] Jackson, A. (2016). The latest ranking of top countries in math, reading, and science is out — and the US didn’t crack the top 10. [online] Business Insider Indonesia. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.co.id/pisa-worldwide-ranking-of-math-science-reading-skills-2016-12/?r=US&IR=T#ZfcEzheTjz89U8Se.97 [Accessed 13 Apr. 2017].
[iii] Pratama, A. H. (2017). Kumpulan Startup Pendidikan di Indonesia. [online] TechInAsia. Available at: https://id.techinasia.com/ingin-belajar-secara-online-inilah-8-startup-pendidikan-di-indonesia-yang-siap-membantu-anda [Accessed 13 Apr. 2017].
[iv] Ruangguru.com. (n.d.). Ruangvideo by Ruangguru. [online] Available at: https://ruangguru.com/video [Accessed 13 Apr. 2017].
[v] Quipper Video. (n.d.). Belajar Online UN dan SBMPTN. [online] Available at: https://video.quipper.com/id [Accessed 13 Apr. 2017].
[vi] Detik. (2017). Biaya Bimbel Mahal, Coba Quipper Video. [online] Available at: http://inet.detik.com/advertorial-news-block/d-3030276/biaya-bimbel-mahal-coba-quipper-video [Accessed 13 Apr. 2017].
[vii] Hermansyah, A. (2016). Internet penetration up amid availability of cheap smartphones: Nielsen. [online] The Jakarta Post. Available at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/19/internet-penetration-up-amid-availability-of-cheap-smartphones-nielsen.html [Accessed 13 Apr. 2017].
[viii] Kineo. (n.d.). The Benefits of Elearning | What Are the Advantages of Using it?. [online] Available at: http://www.kineo.com/resources/new-to-elearning/the-benefits-of-elearning [Accessed 13 Apr. 2017].
[ix] Quipper Video. (2016). Infografis Quipperian Pejuang UN. [online] Available at: https://video.quipper.com/id/blog/quipper-land/infografis-quipperian-pejuang-un-yang-lulus-dengan-belajar-menggunakan-quipper/ [Accessed 13 Apr. 2017].
[x] Aktual. (2016). Ketimpangan Teknologi Informasi dan Telekomunikasi di Indonesia Timur Masih Terjadi. [online] Available at: http://www.aktual.com/ketimpangan-teknologi-informasi-dan-telekomunikasi-indonesia-timur-masih-terjadi/ [Accessed 13 Apr. 2017].
