This document discusses informal education in the context of national development in Indonesia. It makes the following key points: 1) Informal education takes place through independent learning within families and communities. It can provide equal outcomes to formal education if learners acquire useful competencies. 2) Indonesian law recognizes informal, formal, and non-formal education as the three pathways in the national education system. However, legislation has not fully recognized independent learning and the principle of lifelong learning. 3) For a country to develop successfully, its citizens need to continuously acquire new knowledge and skills throughout their lives, not just through formal schooling. Informal education and lifelong learning are essential foundations for this.

1. INFORMAL EDUCATION Prof. Ace Suryadi, M.Sc.Ph.D.
In the National Development Perspective
Translator : Edy Hardiyanto, S.Pd.,M.T.
Center For the Development of Non Formal
2012
and Informal Education Regional I Bandung

2. INFORMAL EDUCATION
IN THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE
Author : Prof. Ace Suryadi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Translator : Edy Hardiyanto, S.Pd., M.T.
CENTER FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NON FORMAL AND
INFORMAL EDUCATION REGIONAL I BANDUNG
2012

3. FORWARD
Center for Development of Non-formal and Informal Education (PP PNFI)
Region I Bandung, as one of the technical units of directorate general of non-
formal and informal education, performs its tasks and functions as stipulated on
Education Minister Decree (Permendiknas) number 08 year 2008, which cover
the formulation of educational technical policies, the analysis and development of
non-formal and informal education (NFIE) programs and learning models, and
NFIE resource development.
The NFIE services provided by PP PNFI is, in essence, a devoted effort to
improve the quality of all Indonesian citizens in order to become virtuous,
intelligent, professional and competitive in fulfilling its goal of independence that
is to establish a happy, wealthy and just Indonesian nation.
Educational institutions are obliged to improve the nation’s human resources
by means of formal, non-formal or informal education stream. On the non-formal
and informal streams, educational services are offered both through conventional
and alternative methods that each member of the nation can democratically
choose his or her own learning path in accordance with their nature and
expectation to reach a better quality life.
Procurement of various learning media both printed and electronic types by
PP PNFI is aimed to provide contextual, motivating, quality-learning materials to
improve knowledge, skills, and attitude needed in expanding vision, self-respect
and dignity, and professionalism as citizen of Indonesian nation.
On behalf of the director and all the staffs of PP-PNFI Region I Bandung, I
would like to extend my appreciation to all parties who have devoted all the
efforts in fulfilling community’s expectation through the creation of quality-
learning materials and information.
Director of PP-PNFI Region I
Bandung,
Ir. Djayeng Baskoro, M.Pd.
NIP. 196306251990021001
i

4. CONTENT
FORWARD i
CONTENT ii
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1
CHAPTER 2 INFORMAL EDUCATION 4
A. Informal Education and Learning
Perspective Throughout Life 4
B. Types of Informal Education 10
CHAPTER 3 CONCLUSION 19
BIBLIOGRAPHY 22
ii

5. CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Informal education is one of the educational pathways that take
place within the family and community, which typically take the form of
independent learning. The results of informal education can be
recognized as equal to the result of formal education and non formal
education as long as the learner acquire competencies that is useful for
him to obtain a better life. Education is a process inherent in all
humankind activities and is as large as the human life itself. An education
is a series of learning process whether intentionally or unintentionally
carried out by everyone as an ongoing process.
Decree no. 20/2003 has established that the National Education System
includes three channels, namely Formal Education, Non Formal
Education, and Informal Education. Article 27 states that (1) informal
education activities are conducted by the family and the environment, as
independent learning, (2) The education outcome as stated in verse (1) is
recognized as equal to formal and non formal education degree after
participants pass examination accord with national standards of education
(SNP), and (3) the recognition of informal learning outcomes referred to in
verse (2) shall refer to relevant government regulations. Informal
education is education undertaken by the family, neighborhood as well as
each individual which is equivalent to formal and non formal education.
Seven years later, Article 27 verse (3) is comprehended by Government
Regulation (PP) no. 17/2010 on Management and Education Deliverance.
The PP is revised within a couple months as PP no. 66/2010, the new
regulation no. 17/2010 on verse 117 states: (1) The outcome of informal
education is equivalent to non-formal and formal education after passing
1

6. the equivalency examination which meets the National Standards of
Education organized by the institution designated either by the
Government or local government according to respective authorities, and
appropriate legislation.
The equivalency examination mentioned above refers to: a.
Equivalency test is applied to non formal education students as in Article
115, and b. Minister Regulation is valid to manage other informal
education beyond the range of Article 115
Furthermore the equalization of education outcome is stipulated in Article
115, as follows. (1) The non-formal education is equivalent to non-formal
and formal education after meeting the National Standards of Education
organized by the institution designated either by the Government or local
government according to respective authorities, and appropriate
legislation, and (2) Equivalency test referred to verse (1) for the Program
Package A, B, C and Package C Vocational Program implemented by the
National Education Standards Agency.
The provisions of the legislation clearly implies that the informal education
students are only directed to take the non-formal education national
exams which is Package A, B, C which is equivalent to formal education.
Thus, informal education quality bias occurs twice, first, Package A, B, C
national exams is equivalent to the formal education national exams, and
second, informal education itself is equivalent to the equivalency exam.
In other words, legislation is still "half-hearted" to recognize independent
learning as a process that can produce competence. It also means, the
national education system in Indonesia has not been able to identify the
principle of life-long learning to realize a learning community (learning
society).
2

7. Based on the above matters, this book will explain the various dimensions
of informal education as an integrated part of national education system,
and its implications for real conduct.
3

8. Chapter 2
Informal Education
A. Informal Education and the Life-Long Learning Perspective
In the economics of education literature (Psacharopoulos, 1993) it is
basically explained that "Knowledge is a critical factor in economic and
social development." In other words, success in building a society in
various sectors is largely determined by the competence and mastery of
various fields of science and technology (Ace Suryadi, 2009). In a book
entitled The Economics of Non-Formal Education, Mansur Ahmed (1977)
asserted that the acquisition of competence and ability of the community
is more determined by the learning process implemented by each
member of the community throughout his life, rather than by the
educational institution conducted in formal education. In other words,
knowledge, competencies, and skills used by workers or members of the
public in general are largely acquired through self-learning activities
rather than through schools or colleges.
Lifelong learning is universal. It is a principle that should be the root
for a successful learning process in each path and level of education.
Lifelong learning is the essence of human life itself to grow from one
stage of development to the next one towards maturity. Learning, as well
as food, clothing, housing, and health, are the basic needs of every
person in order to survive and develop as independent and useful
members of society both for themselves as well as their environment.
Therefore, the principle of self learning, as one of the implications of life-
long learning, is the adult human skill that must be developed in all
learners in the formal, informal or non formal education unit.
4

9. Mohamed Yunus in his book "Creating the World Without Poverty"
(2009) asserts: knowledge stimulates economic growth through increased
productivity as a result of innovation, contributes to poverty reduction,
facilitates the achievement of most of the Millennium Development Goals,
and increases countries' capacity to cope with natural emergencies.
"More than a necessity for survival, knowledge is a powerful tool for
everyone to grow and develop into a man of character and a productive
human being. In the latest development, knowledge is increasingly
becoming a commodity as a source of national income which is much
higher in value than other forms of commodities. Australia is an example
of the famous OECD member that is able to obtain the highest national
income, up to 60-70%, from the education sector, where knowledge and
mastery of technology attracts learners around the world.
With his typical question, "Lifelong Learning and Adult Education:
Luxury or Necessity for Developing Countries?" Yunus (2009) confirms
that lifelong learning is the basic need of every person, even for those
who are poor and illiterate. To prove it, he applied education program for
the poor and illiterate by emphasizing the importance of knowledge and
skills in the use of micro-credit supported by micro financing as boosters
to get out of the chain of poverty. He has successfully implemented the
program and in 2006 won the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. Yunus
insists that, illiterate people do not need a piece of paper, a school
diploma; they need the ability to learn to enhance rnicro financing efforts
to sustain the productivity of everyday life. They also do not need
theoretical knowledge learned in schools, they need the ability to seek
and renew useful knowledge (applied knowledge) to run their daily
businesses.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which consists of eight
goals agreed by the members of UNESCO to be achieved in 2015, every
5

10. country, including Indonesia have commitments to achieve it. MDG's first
two goals, to eradicate poverty and hunger and achieve universal primary
education is the cornerstone of all goals. Achieve universal primary
education for all, should not be read as "school" or an equivalent diploma
as its output. According to the MDG of primary education was not the
elementary/junior high, not junior even senior religion school, nor
Package A/B, using the SNE, National Exams, and the formal school
diploma as a requirement. In other words, path and type of education is
not important anymore because the most important is the ability to embed
education to learn the basic skills and basic competencies that is really
useful for life and the lives of all people in society.
In Indonesia there is a serious misconception associated with the
least basic education listed in national legislation. Decree 20/2003, verse
17, states that (1) Basic education is education that underlies secondary
education, (2) basic education takes the form of primary school (SD) and
madrasah (MI) or other equivalent form as well as junior high school
(SMP) and madrasah tsanawiyah (MTs), or other equivalent forms. That
misconception is the formal education bias, which does not conform with
the above millennium development goals. The bias assumption of formal
education appears in section (1) verse 17 which states that primary
education only underlies secondary education and paragraph (2) that
emphasize basic education is the institution, not the content and mission.
According to the MDG's, basic education mission is not only a preparation
for secondary education, but the most important is to cultivate a spirit of
lifelong learning for all, one of the mission is so that people can learn to
eradicate poverty and hunger.
Basic education in Indonesia does not have the mission to develop
life-long learners. In the concept of Education for All (UNESCO, 1990),
basic education is the concept of life-long learning. The EFA document,
6

11. asserted that the most important is the material requirements of basic
education, namely "basic learning content" in relation to knowledge,
character, basic skills which are really useful and needed by learners.
Other material requirements of basic education is Basic Learning tools,
namely the learner’s basic skills to learn throughout his life. Both of these
material conditions are the two sides of one coin as the true nature of
basic education.
In general, the basic ability to learn consists of five basic literacy skills
to be possessed by all citizens. In the Education for All literature, the
basic literacy skill consists : quickly understand the reading material
(reading); pouring ideas through writing that are simple and easy to
understand (writing); capture the speech of others quickly and accurately
(listening comprehension); express ideas orally in a simple manner and
easily understood (conversation); and understand the logic of numbers,
area and space in everyday practice (mathematical reasoning ability).
These five types of basic literacy is not only taught but must be
intensively practiced by the students through basic education. Basic
literacy is a powerful tool for all citizens to have and to rejuvenate the
whole of knowledge, character, and basic skills, through the ability to
learn throughout his life.
The formal education bias in national legislation has resulted
Indonesia to be "stranded" in the trap called credentialism. Credentialism
trap has become a major problem in most developing countries, the
general assumption that only regard education as status symbol (diploma,
academic degree certificates, etc.) rather than competence obtained.
Employment hiring based on certificate of work tend to be more
appreciative rather than the ability of the applicant, and the fact that this
problem has led to declining productivity of industry, business, and
professional bureaucracy. If the credentialism effect is allowed to
7

12. proceed, then the acquisition of a diploma or degree is considered far
more important than learning to acquire skills.
Credentialism and formal education bias lead to life-long learning
principle to be less developed and is not even used as principles of
education in this country. Whereas life-long learning places "learning" as
more important than the "physical evidence" namely educational diplomas
or academic degrees. This problem is really acute in the education
system in Indonesia, so that the National Education Act underestimated
informal education which is loaded with continuous learning process for
learners. The birth of informal education in the national legislation should
be directed to realizing lifelong learner that will later create a learning
society. In order to achieve these goals, national education should be
able to control the credential trap and formal education bias. Both traps
will only be controlled if the government can influence the position of the
"Informal Education" one or two levels above more important, even the
most important position, in the development program of the national
education.
Within the framework of "lifelong learning," informal education is not
the path of education as defined in Education decree. Lifelong learning is
an approach to thinking (mind set) in the development of education which
can accelerate the ability to learn, to achieve a sustainable quality of
education. Informal education as an approach to thinking is not only
intended for education in either the family or the environment with the
ability to learn independently as a concept. This approach also is
appropriate for the learning process in schools, with the intention that the
learners have the capacity to learn, so that after they graduate, learning
will become an absolute requirement, equivalent to other necessities in
life, the "lifelong learning" frame is that in the picture below.
8

13. Fig. 1 : Framework for Lifelong Learning
It is questioned by Cradall (2009), "life-long learning; is it Luxury or
Necessity for Developing Countries?" Life-long learning is a mindset also
functions as a New Pedagogical Approaches in contemporary education
are commonly used in the learning process in schools excels today.
According Crodalls "life-long learning: focuses on learning rather than
teaching, new and varied modalities for learning. Learning tailored to
needs of individuals, teacher as guide and facilitator; and reliance on
advanced technology in education was Appropriate." Informal education
is the "first hand" of the principle of lifelong learning, as informal
education more emphasis on learning rather than teaching. If teachers in
schools to develop study skills for students to vary the learning activities
in order to provide flexibility for students to perform learning activities
such as they like and the way they need. Schools therefore do not impose
a student teachers learning style, because teachers only serves as a
facilitator and motivator for students to learn as much as possible. Thus,
the answer to the question Cradall, informal education is an approach to
9

14. learning sharpshooter who able raise students confidence to learn, and
students are expected to become lifelong learners for life.
If students are “lifelong learners," it is certain that they will be
successful in studying in any path. Their learning capacity will succeed in
their education at school or college. They will also succeed in mastering a
prompt skills, and professions through formal education or training that
they follow. They are also able to become independent learners in his life
because every time they are always motivated to rejuvenate knowledge
and improve skills and obtain character to support the life and career
success.
B. Types of Informal Education
Meanwhile, there are those who define education as a learning
process which takes place in everyday life. If a friend encourages another
friend to talk about something that he is experiencing so that he is able to
cope with disappointment and take further actions, it is an informal
educational event. Parents teaching their children to behave or to write is
another example. Others consider education as an informal learning
activity provided by themselves and for themselves. A fisherman who
takes his son fishing and shows him how to fish is another form of
informal education.
Other parties see education as informal learning activities that occur
because of being involved in community or youth organizations. In
informal education settings, there should be a specialist who works as a
social worker and whose job is to facilitate and encourage communities to
learn. In contrast to the parent or friend, a professional "social teacher"
will be able to provide insights or ways to work better for members of the
community who need it. In other words, informal education is a variety of
forms and types, but basically should be a process to help people learn.
10

15. We can see that parents, friends, educators and social teacher are
teaching in informal education. If we are engaged in a learning activity, in
school or elsewhere, that means we're teaching ourselves. We often
teach children with a clear objective in our minds, for example, teaching
children to read at home. In this case it is obvious who is teaching, who is
learning and the objective is clear, to teach children the ability to read. But
in another time, maybe we did not plan anything but engage in a
conversation that might enable us to learn, to add or increase the
understanding of our interests to find out more about things.
The above example implies that learning is to know or acquire an
ability but it is usually informal, taking place both intentional or
unintentionally. We often do not know when or where the learning
process occurs and its effects. If we speak or do something that can
direct the thoughts of someone or make someone aware of something, it
is a an unintentional form of informal education. As educators, we need to
bring more information about informal education as an alternative
approach to provide a more relevant education and directly perceived
benefits. By understanding the principles of informal education, we can
open up great opportunities to understand the content and educational
programs that are most relevant.
In many ways, there is no different objective between informal
education and education in general term. Some situations, we may focus
on healthier foods and others concern with the interaction within the
family. However, basically informal education is related to an interaction
in a society where the learning needs are met. John Dewey also
describes informal education as an activity in which every member of
society can learn from each other to co-exist better. For that purpose,
community education will provide a very important role.
11

16. Informal education emphasizes on what is needed by community,
whether it relates to the value of education, comprehension, emotional
control, and the need for competency, skill, and even expertise. In a
common situation informal education is more relevant to value and
behavior. Informal education as expressed by Dewey is related to : (1)
work for the well-being of all; 2) respect the unique value and dignity of
each human being; (3) Dialogues (4) equality and justice, and (5)
democracy and the active involvement of people in the issues that affect
their lives. As a community educator, he must devote his time to thinking
about the values associated his job. However, there is no curriculum or
learning guidelines for informal education, but importantly how we can
respond to situations that occur in the environment,
Informal education aims to acquire knowledge, skills, competency,
professional ability, and even expertise in a certain required field and can
be acquired by the learners themselves. The process can be carried out
through various means, such as reading, asking questions and
discussion, watching TV, practicing, or engaging in an activity or
communicating with others. In informal education the most important is
the high motivation to learn or master the competencies required. The
forms of informal education can be categorized into the following
educational activities.
First is paassive learning through reading, observing, and watching.
Reading not just sounding out letters, words or sentences, but it is more
than that. Reading is a powerful tool for a person to acquire knowledge,
where learners are required to seek and find the most appropriate and
easy to learn reading materials. Every learner must have the ability to
read fast (speed reading) in order to understand quickly and exactly what
you want to learn. Observing is watching an event in which learners are
involved in, for instance participate in an organizational activity or witness
12

17. issues in society. By observing, learners are required to participate,
understand and experience for themselves the cause and effect. If you
see an authoritarian leader, a learner can experience how a leader is not
favored by its members. Watching is the process of wathing a series of
events in which the learners themselves are not involved in like enjoying
a movie or soap opera on TV. In wathing, a learner is passive and
informal education is necessary to explain the presence of any cause and
effect of the witnessed events so that he will develop certain
understanding and value.
Second, informal education can also be carried out through asking
questions and discussion with people who has more knowledge or skills.
Learners can ask questions about things that he wants to know or
comprehend. Asking question is a stimulus from the learner to provoke a
response from informal educators to provide an explanation as much as
he desires. Through this stimulus and response a discussion will arise to
create an indepth learning process and to reach the desired objective. A
competent learner must master the questioning techniques that are able
to "drain" as much information to gather, if necessary informal educators
can explain the various ways that enable learners to understand what is
being learned.
The third informal education can be done by learning a particular skill
or expertise. To acquire a skill or expertise, a learner conducts repetitive
exercises, involving physical movement and mentally active. An informal
educator teaching a certain skill is a trainer who is sought directly by the
to train the required skills. Perhaps the trainer is not present, but all the
instruction have been written in the manuals that can be followed by the
learner while doing the exercises independently.
13

18. Fourth, informal education can be carried out through self learning to
broaden a professional skill or expertise. Independence in learning is the
behavior of a professional as lifelong learners. This category of informal
education requires the learners ability to make the best decisions about
what to learn, to whom they learned, the learning activities to carry out,
and how to measure success in achieving a level of professional
competence or expertise. The decision can be explained as follows,
(1) The decision about what will be learnt is largely determined by the
learner's own competence. A professional teacher should know the
competencies that must be mastered as compared with a
predetermined standard of competence. Therefore, teachers must be
able to assess himself to know exactly what competencies that must
be learned.
(2) A learner must make decisions about who is the informal educator to
whom he can learn. Learning resources may be a person who is
directly present to teach the learner interactively. Or it may be
someone who is not present but the learning material has been
prepared into various forms of media such as books, textbooks,
manuals, learning tools, learning modules, or interactive ICT program.
If not physically present, a learner be imaginative as though the
teacher is present through the messages contained in the learning
media.
(3) A learner must able to determine the types of activities most effective
to learn the substance to be learnt. Informal learning activities can be
done through various activities such as reading, writing, attend a
relevant lecture, seminar or training, or even attending a relevant part-
time college course, or practicing alone until the desired
competencies have been acquired.
14

19. (4) To ensure that the desired competencies have been acquired, a
learner must decide whether to take a competency test and if he
passes he will acquire a higher level competence in a particular
profession. Professional competency test is a tool to obtain
recognition of the competence that has been acquired or increase
competency that has been achieved which is usually indicated by a
professional certificate. Based on this recognition, a professional will
receive a reward for the increase in service quality in his profession.
View from the learning system, informal education covers all dimensions
of learning, ranging from individual self-learning, learning within the
family, collective learning, mass learning, to informal education through
schooling or university.
First, the most universal informal education is self-directed learning on the
basis of own desire and motivation. Self learning is unique because every
person has a different strategy in the conducting learning activities.
Independent learning is "self study" or "auto-didactics" in which learners
perform learning activities voluntarily without any coercion from another
person. Each learner carries out "fine-tuning" after "trial & error" on the o
types of learning activities that can ultimately be selected as the most
effective learning strategies. Self-learning activity is the most perfect form
of education because the purpose, process, and evaluation of learning is
entirely determined by the incentives and disincentives perceived by the
learner. By learning independently, a learner can : acquire the desired
character traits, gain knowledge, improve skills, become skilled and
productive workers, improve professional status and become excellent
students. Quality and educational excellence that have been achieved in
developed countries is due to the formal education systems that have
been able to stimulate self-learning ability along with the learning process.
15

20. Meanwhile, students are encouraged to learn independently as much as
possible so that teachers only serve as facilitators.
Second, informal education can take the form of education inside family
environment. Parents often serve as informal educators who decide on
the content, process, as well as assessment for their children. Learning
content is also more variety, ranging from good character, knowledge,
skill that must be achieved, family task, work to earn income, as well as
school lessons to be learned in the family. Learning methods range from
mentoring, training, order task, inviting a tutor for additional learning, until
a good example whether intentionally or not. Learning assessment follow
parents standards, depending on its purpose. In recent development,
education in the family is introduced by the Ministry of Education,
particularly with regard to home-schooling or early childhood education at
home through parenting education.
Third is informal education that emphasizes on collective learning.
Collective learning is carred out by enabling the activities of community
groups who have a common interest. In order to empower the community,
various groups are created by the government or independently, such as,
collective learning activities through: farmer group, Radio Listeners
Group, nature lovers, sidewalk vendors group, etc. These groups can
choose mutual learning, share experience or share information on
learning resources. Farmer groups can learn among members that can
be driven by incentives and disincentives mechanism. Soybean purchase
by the government at market prices could be a market incentive for
soybean farmers to study in his group on how to farm more efficiently and
produce more quality soy products. In order for farmers to increase
production of high quality grain and can compete with imported products,
the Logistic Bureau can provide market incentives by buying grain at a
price higher than the price of imported grain. This will make farmers learn
16

21. effectively if they join a study group. In seducation, informal education in
groups has also been carried out through study groups of teachers who
are members of the Teacher Working Group (KKG) or Council of Subject
Teachers (MGMP). With the increase in professional incentive, teachers
can take advantage of KKG and MGMP as a learning vehicle.
Fourth, informal education can take the form of learning carried out by
mass. This kind of informal education represents various social, religious,
economic, and political institutions. Even electronic or printed media are
social institutions that serve as informal educators with huge influence on
changing attitudes and the behavior of society in a relatively short time.
The mass media can create the learning process such as soap operas,
sports, movies, game shows, talk shows, or news that can indirectly bring
about various forms of public response as informal learners. Assessment
and informal education control must be conducted by government body,
for example film censor committee shoud be under the Menkominfo
(Ministry of Communication and Information) to issue licenses, or
broadcast permits. The Directorate of PAUDNI Kemdiknas should be
influence controller of mass media through the recommendation for
broadcast permits with consideration from the educational aspect.
Fifth, the informal education in the formal education institution. In terms
improving the quality of education, informal education can be used as an
appropriate learning strategy to encourage the development of self
learning ability. Self-learning ability is a necessity to implement through a
learner centered learning approach (student centered), in order to
sustainably improve the quality of education. College excellence in the
global scope can only be achieved if the student learning process
emphasized on self-learning ability. Meanwhile, university lecturer serves
more as a facilitator who can provide study independently. RSBI schools
can also become a laboratory to develop the ability of the independent
17

22. learning for students, for example through independent tasks, writing and
research, group work, etc. For the development of self-learning capability,
a mechanism of incentives and disincentives must be applied so that the
students are compelled to seek, research, and present the results of their
study. To develop independent learning, assessments should not be
based on menial cognitive ability (remembering, memorizing theoretically)
but should be based on analytical and applicative ability.
18

23. Chapter 3
Conclusion
Discussion of informal education is carried out critically and conceptually
and is intended to change the mindset of national education systems.
Informal education can not only be regarded as a highly varied
educational path type and form as provided for in verse 17 of the
Education Decree No. 20/2003, but also as a powerful tool in the learning
strategies that can be developed through formal education. Based on its
activities, informal education consists of pasive learning activities, active
learning activities, observation, training, and independent learning for
professionals. Based on the actors of learning, informal education consist
of individuals (self study), the collective learning activities, mass learning
activities as well as independent learning activities undertaken by
students in formal education units.
Based on the above conclusions, some implications for policy and
program development can be stated as follows.
1. Informal education takes place automatically in all human life in
society. But not all have an impact on the growth of informal
education attitude, the character of knowledge, and skills desired in
the community. To develop informal education that will have a positive
impact, the ability of the basic literacy needs to be developed for
students even as early as childhood education, so that learners
acquire independent learning throughout his life. Therefore, the basic
learning skills should be included in the basic education curriculum
with a significant composition. Ability of basic literacy is essential in
order to create learning as one of the basic requirements for every
graduate.
19

24. 2. To develop independent learning (self study), various strategies of
incentives and disincentives must be applied to ensure that everyone
feels compelled to learn as much as possible to gain competence.
One type of incentive is upholding credibility in the selection
mechanism, ranging from school entrance exams, final exams,
competency test, recruitment test, the professional test and so on. If
the selection mechanism is credible, then everyone will feel
challenged to work hard to pursue the possibility to be selected
objectively.
3. To develop successful collective learning activities, the Government
needs to design a study group for teachers and clear and credible
incentives and disincentives. One example already implemented is
KKG and MGMP as a form of informal education to facilitate collective
learning activities in order to improve their career and productivity.
The system can also be created for groups of school principals,
groups of researchers and policy analysts, structural position, etc.
Professional testing system, recruitment exam, promotion exam,
promotion, or office allowance must be more credible and objective in
order for the selection mechanism to be universal and the learning
activity will be more dynamic among the employees.
4. Informal education in the student’s family environment need to be
developed in such a way that the family can serve as a support
system to education in schools. One example is parenting education
conducted intensively for parents of students in order to educate their
children according to the education they receive in school. Parenting
education in care-giving, nurturing, and educating the children under
five at home is important for parents to educate their children beyond
what is done in early childhood institutions, even more if the parents
are unable or unwilling enter their children in early childhood
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25. education. Educating and broadening the parent’s insight are also
required to enhance the effectiveness of home-schooling. Especially
for those who cannot afford to send their children to school. But
school final exams need to be developed in such a way that can
objectively offer opportunity for children who are not in school to take
the school exam and gain recognition as a result of their learning
activities independently in the family.
5. In relation to informal education carried out en masse. Governments
need to devise a system for guiding the provision of technical
assistance or permits in such a way that the media do not bring about
an adverse impact on changing undesirable behavior. That is why the
Ministry need to compose a draft guidance and / or permissions
granted to a variety of media content, printed as well as electronic (eg
news, stories, ads, etc.) that are presented to the public in
consideration of the education asepct. Permission need not be given
by the Ministry, but recommendation to the Minister of Communication
from the educational aspect on issue or broadcast permits.
6. The Ministry is advised to prepare a strategic plan that contains draft
guidance informal education as described in point 1 to 6 above. The
draft should be drawn by the Ministry but daily guidance is carried out
by Directorate General PAUDNI. To arrive at this draft, P2PNFI need
to prepare and develop a pilot guidance program for informal
education, if successful it can be applied nationally by Minstry.
So, hopefully there is no benefit.
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26. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ahmed, Manzoor (1975) “Economics of Nonformal Education; Praeger
special studies in international economics and development,
Published August 1975 by Praeger Publishers Inc., U.S.
Hanafi Taufik (2009) Rencana Pembangunan Pendidikan Jangka
Panjang Bidang Pendidikan, Bahan presentasi Direktur Pendidikan
dan Olahraga dan Agama Bappenas pada Rembuh Nasional
Depdiknas 2009.
Muhammad Yunus (2009) “Creating a World Without Poverty; Social
Business and the Future Capitalism.; New York, Barnes & Noble.
Psacharopoulos, George (2007) “The effect of education on employment,
wages and productivity: A European perspective,” in Measuring,
improving and promoting effects of lifelong learning. European
Commission 2007.
Psacharopoulos, George (1985) Return to Education: A Further
International Update and Implications. “Journal of Human
Resources
Psacharopoulos, George and Maureen Woodhall (1985) Education for
Development: An Analysis of Investment Choice. Published for the
World Bank: Oxford University Press.
Sen Amartia (2005) Sen, Amartya, “Development as Freedom,” Random
House USA Inc; 1st Ed edition, 1999.
Suryadi Ace (2008) Peranan Pendidikan Non-formal dalam
Menanggulangi Kemiskinan” Bahan Presentasi Dirjen PNFI
Depdiknas dalam Rapat Menko Kesra RI.
Suryadi, Ace, Ph.D. (2002) Pendidikan Investasi SDM, dan
Pembangunan. Jakarta: Balai Pustaka.
Suryadi, Ace. Ph.D. (2009). Mewujudkan Masyarakat Pembelajar.
Bandung: Widya Aksara Press.
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27. Suryadi, Ace., Prof. Ph.D. dan Dasim Budimansyah, Prof. Dr. M.Si.
(2009) Paradigma Pembangunan Pendidikan: Konsep, Teori dan
Aplikasi dalam Analisis Kebijakan Publik dalam Bidang Pendidikan.
Bandung: Widya Aksara Press.
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