VZCZCXYZ0021
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJA #3494/01 3490802
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 150802Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2474

UNCLAS JAKARTA 013494 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR EAP 
AIDAC FOR ANE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: ID
 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETING WITH MINISTER OF NATIONAL 
EDUCATION 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  Ambassador Pascoe met with Minister of 
National Education Dr. Bambang Sudibyo on December 11 to 
discuss President Bush's six-year, $157 million Indonesia 
Education Initiative.  Minister Sudibyo complained that he 
was not familiar with the U.S. program and had not been 
able to effectively brief President Yudhoyono prior to 
President Bush's November 20 visit to Indonesia. 
Ambassador Pascoe reviewed the major elements of President 
Bush's education initiative, being carried out by USAID and 
the Public Affairs Section.  He underscored the on-going 
partnership with the Ministry at the national, provincial 
and local level, and presented key results of the program 
since its April 2005 start.  Minister Sudibyo raised three 
concerns:  insufficient written reports to the Ministry; a 
desire to increase control over where the program operates; 
and U.S. funds should be channeled through the Ministry of 
Finance.  In response, the Ambassador welcomed more GOI 
engagement in evaluating the program, but cautioned that 
re-designing the successful program, which directly 
supports the Ministry's own policy and strategy for 
education reform, would be misguided. End Summary 
 
¶2. (SBU) Ambassador Pascoe met with Minister of National 
Education, Dr. Bambang Sudibyo, on December 11.  The 
meeting followed President Bush's November 20 visit to 
Indonesia during which President Bush and President 
Yudhoyono highlighted the partnership between the U.S. and 
Indonesia on revitalizing the education system for the next 
generation of Indonesia's leaders. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Ambassador Pascoe presented the major components 
of the $157 million President Bush Indonesia Education 
Initiative and the key results achieved since its inception 
in April 2005.  Designed in close collaboration with the 
Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of 
Religious Affairs, the initiative directly responds to GOI 
priorities by: helping local governments and communities 
effectively manage decentralized education; enhancing the 
quality of teaching and learning to improve student 
performance; providing youth with relevant work and life 
skills to better compete for jobs; and supporting higher 
education exchanges and opportunities to study intensive 
English in the United States. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Minister stated that he and his staff were 
not aware of President Bush's Indonesia Education 
Initiative.  Therefore, he had been unable to effectively 
brief President Yudhoyono prior to President Bush's visit. 
The Ambassador reviewed the strong on-going partnership 
with the Ministry of National Education at the central, 
provincial and local level in implementing the program. 
Activities under the program directly support the 
Ministry's policies and strategic plan for education 
reform, in areas such as teacher professional development, 
early childhood education, education management and 
finance, and relevant formal and equivalency education for 
youth.  Following this, one of the Minister's colleagues in 
the meeting, holding a set of fact sheets on the U.S. 
education program, admitted that he and other Ministry of 
National Education staff regularly participate in meetings 
on the U.S. education program. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Minister raised three concerns.  He 
complained that he has not received sufficient written 
reports regarding program implementation.  The Ambassador 
pledged to increase written reporting to the Ministry. 
Stating that Indonesia should decide who benefits from the 
education program, not the U.S., the Minister expressed a 
desire for increased Ministry control and involvement in 
strategic decisions.  The Ambassador explained that all 
districts and schools are selected through participatory 
consultation with Ministry of National Education and 
Ministry of Religious Affairs officials at the provincial 
and district level, based on criteria and guidelines set by 
these Ministries along with the Coordinating Ministry for 
People's Welfare at the national level. 
 
¶6. (SBU) This process reflects the decentralized system 
in Indonesia and the Ministry of National Education's own 
stated policy to facilitate the transfer of education 
service delivery to the local level, while providing 
standards and policy guidance from Jakarta.  At the heart 
of this concern is the Minister's regret that the U.S. 
education program is authorized under a bilateral agreement 
with the Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare rather 
than his Ministry.  This decision was made both for 
coordination purposes given the array of GOI ministries 
involved in the education sector, but also due to concerns 
about corruption within the Ministry of National Education. 
The Minister's third issue related to the nature of USG 
assistance funds.  He argued that U.S. funds should be 
 
channeled through the Ministry of Finance and be reflected 
in the national budget.  [Note: Dr. Sudibyo was Minister of 
Finance during the Wahid administration.]  This is a common 
misperception and the Ambassador explained that as grant 
funding, not loan funding or direct budget support, U.S. 
assistance is off-budget and implemented via bilateral 
agreements with relevant GOI ministries. 
 
¶7. (SBU) In discussing his meeting with President 
Yudhoyono, the Minister implied that there was a need to 
rethink and restructure President Bush's Indonesia 
Education Initiative.  The Ambassador reiterated that the 
U.S. education program directly supports the Minister's own 
policies and objectives for the education sector, was 
designed together with the Ministry, and that re-designing 
a successful program which is operating in 1,000 schools, 
has trained over 25,000 educators to date, and has assisted 
400,000 students, would only be a disservice to the many 
teachers, parents and children benefiting from President 
Bush's initiative.  The Ambassador also noted that the 
education program is a major component of the USG 
assistance program in Indonesia and reflects the strong 
U.S.-Indonesia partnership. 
 
PASCOE