LeadIn Executive Director Dr. Tony Devine (left) and Dr. H. Cucu Saputra, General Chairman of Association of School Principals Indonesia, at the launch of the Character and Creativity Initiative.

The Global Peace Foundation’s Education Division, LeadIn, announced the launch of its Character and Creativity Initiative (CCI) in Indonesia during a training program on December 9-12, 2013.

An archipelago nation comprising more than 17,000 islands and some 240 million people, Indonesia has significant development challenges among its far-flung and ethnically diverse population.

Educators recognize that quality and relevant education for its people is extremely important for national development. Twenty two percent of Indonesian youth are unemployed according to 2012 statistics, the highest rate among ASEAN countries. In addition, approximately 360,000 undergraduate degree holders are not able to find jobs.

Recognizing that a transformation of culture in Indonesian schools is urgently needed, the Ministry of Education and Culture of Indonesia launched a revised 2013 curriculum, which heavily emphasizes the development of character and creativity in students.

“The extension of character is leadership, the extension of creativity is entrepreneurship.”
                                                                 —Dr. Tony Devine, Executive Director, LeadIn

During the launch week, two initial CCI trainings were conducted in Jakarta and Bandung. The trainings involved over 200 educators and resulted in 15 pilot schools for CCI. The trainings were supported by Association of School Principals Indonesia, Education Department of West Java Province, and President University.

The trainings involved over 200 educators and resulted in 15 pilot schools for CCI.

Secretary General of the Ministry of Education and Culture Indonesia Professor Ainun Na’im sees a strong synergy between CCI and the new curriculum in Indonesia. In a meeting with CCI directors, the Secretary General noted that the Indonesian constitution mandated a 20 percent allocation of the country’s budget for education, affirming the importance of quality education for Indonesia.

The new curriculum will be fully implemented by 2015, and with the launch and implementation of CCI, Indonesia will be the front runner of character and creativity education in Asia.