The Contrast between studying in the US and Indonesia - Essay Example

Compare and contrast s: Introduction Education systems vary according in different parts of the world. Consequently, technological developments and intellectual growth varies from country to country. Education is among the fields that have experienced diverse changes across the world in the recent past. Governments of different countries across the world structure their education systems to suit their political, economic and social cultural needs. Studying in a developed country is quite different from studying in a developing country (Winfield, 2007). For instance, developed countries are better endowed with resources compared to developing countries. Intellectual capacity and level of known how is basically determined by a country’s level of technology and the percentage of skilled human resources present. In this piece of writing, we explore on the comparison and contrast between studying in the US and Indonesia. The US is far much developed in terms of infrastructure and economic actors compared to Indonesia. The US government has invested much on education and research. For instance, the government has established numerous research centers, libraries and bookshops across the US (Brunsma, 2004).In addition, the US government has established several institutions for higher learning across the country. In fact, every state has enough learning institutions and facilities, from primary to tertiary education. In essence, Access to learning materials and resources has been made easier. On the contrary, the Indonesian education system has been ranked among the worst in the world. The learning infrastructure and resources are limited in Indonesia. The number of public libraries and research centers are fewer compared to those in the US. The number of institutions for higher learning are much less compared those in the US. In fact, it is only a few students in Indonesia who secure places in the available institutions of higher learning. Conducting research in Indonesia is harder than doing it in the US since the available research tools are limited and of low quality. In the US, the quality of teaching staff is incomparable with that of Indonesia. Most institutions for higher learning in the US hire experienced and top quality teaching staff. In fact, for one to qualify to teach in any US institution, he/she must portray an outstanding academic background and tremendous achievement in the education career. In addition, the education system in US requires tutors or lectures to be specialists in the areas that they teach. The ratio of tutor to students is of the required international standards in the US. This is not the case in Indonesia. Lange (2010) states that the quality of the teaching staff in most institutions in Indonesia is below average and cannot meet the international requirements. In addition, the available number of fully qualified and experienced teaching staff cannot much the number of students. Therefore, the ratio of tutor to students is below the required international educational standards. The education curriculum is another factor that creates a difference between studying in the US and Indonesia. The US curriculum is rich in all aspects. For instance, there are numerous fields in which the students can participate. The curriculum recognizes that students are not gifted in the same ways. Some are good in academics while others are good in extra-curricular activities such as arts and sports. In this regard, the US government has continually rallied the available resources to avail more areas of student engagement. On the other side, Indonesian education curriculum is one sided, that is, it targets academics side only. Students who are not sharp in academics find it hard to study in Indonesia. There are limited fields of occupation available in the Indonesian curriculum system. Some fields such as arts and sports have been accorded little attention. The US educational system facilitates international exchange programmes. For instance, most universities in the US have established constituent colleges in other countries. Through such strategies, friendly international ties are established thereby promoting the quality of education (Wit, 2002). For this reason, studying in the US is better than studying in Indonesia since the students are presented with a variety of sources of knowledge. Actually, the welfare for every student is well taken care of. In Indonesia, little has been made on international education exchange programmes. Due to financial constraints, institutions for higher learning in Indonesia cannot afford to establish constituent colleges in other countries across the world. According to Bray & Kehle (2011), classroom environment is a key determinant to the quality of education in any institution. Students must be provided with a conducive learning environment to enhance effective studies. The classroom environments in the US and Indonesia are very different. In the US, the number of students in one class is small and therefore the classes are manageable. In addition, the students can approach their tutors at personal level to clarify on issues that were not understood during normal class hours. Consequently, the tutor can monitor the academic progress for each students and thereby boost performance. On the contrary, the number of students in Indonesian classrooms is large. Therefore, the student rarely have direct personal contact with their tutors. For this reasons, consultation on matters regarding concepts not understood during normal class, is limited since the tutor has many students to attend to. For this reason, the performance of students studying in Indonesia might turn out to be poor. Corruption and failing to adopt democracy in education affects the quality of education negatively. In Indonesian, the level of fraud is very high, starting with top government officials. Much of money allocated for developing the education system and constructing modern learning infrastructure ends up in the pockets of few individuals (Suryadarma & Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2013). For this reason, the quality of education in Indonesia has taken a long time than expected to improve. The government allocates huge amounts of fund for education development each year but nothing big is seen in terms of quality improvement. The level of corruption in the US is much less compared to that of Indonesia. The US government has fought tiresomely to reduce corruption and promote democracy in the education sector. In this regard, over 80% of the funds allocated for education development is utilized for the intended purpose. Use of modern technology in education is a crucial factor to consider as far as quality of studies is concerned (Richards & Farrell, 2011). Adoption of modern technology in education is different in the US and Indonesia. The US government has enhanced installation of modern technological infrastructure in all learning institutions. For instance, internet services have been availed in most learning institutions across the US. The government took the initiative of adopting technology in education in order to provide an enabling learning environment. With access to the internet, research has been made easy and the teaching process simplified. Teachers can give online tutorials to students from their homes without having to travel. In addition, students can interact with their tutors online more comfortably. In Indonesia, use of the modern technology in education has not taken roots. It is only a few services that can be carried out online in Indonesia. The Indonesian government has not established enough infrastructure to support adoption of modern technology in education. Additionally, there are no enough technicians who can handle modern technology developments in Indonesia. For this reason, studying in the US is more comfortable than in Indonesia, considering the technology situation. Studying in the US is cheaper than in Indonesia. The government subsidy to education is higher in the US than in Indonesia. Students studying in public institutions in the US require to pay only a little amount since the government meets the total cost of tuition fees. Students are only required to pay a statutory fees and have some funds for upkeep. The cost of education in Indonesia is relatively high compared to the US since the subsidy given by the government is smaller. Cost of education is a determinant factor when it comes to identifying the number of students who can access quality education (Moss, 2012). In this regard, governments of various countries should ensure full funding of higher education in order to promote the quality of human resource. Alluding from the law of demand, the higher the cost of education the lesser the demand for it. The effect of cost on education can be proven by focusing on the Indonesian higher education situation. The percentage of graduates and undergraduates in Indonesia is very low compared to the total population. Most people cannot afford to finance higher education. Conclusion Education is among the core determinants of human development. Education forms the largest source of political, economic and socio-cultural knowledge in the world. Nations with the quality education systems are the most developed. Studying in the US and Indonesia is very different. The US has a superior and sophisticated education system that gives students a conducive learning environment. On the other hand, Indonesian has an inferior education systems that is associated with a lot challenges. The government of various countries across the world should focus on developing efficient and top quality education systems. The nature of education system in a country determines its political and economic progress. References: Bray, M. A., & Kehle, T. J. (2011). The Oxford handbook of school psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. Brunsma, D. L. (2004). The school uniform movement and what it tells us about American education: A symbolic crusade. Lanham, Md. [u.a].: ScarecrowEducation. Lange, J. S. (2010). Human resource management in Indonesia: Important issues to know before establishing a subsidiary in Indonesia. Hamburg: Diplomica-Verl. Moss, M. H. (2012). Education and its discontents: Teaching, the humanities, and the importance of a liberal education in the age of mass information. Lanham, Md: Lexington Books. Richards, J. C., & Farrell, T. S. C. (2011). Practice teaching: A reflective approach. New York: Cambridge University Press. Suryadarma, D., & Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. (2013). Education in Indonesia. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Winfield, A. G. (2007). Eugenics and education in America: Institutionalized racism and the implications of history, ideology, and memory. New York: Lang. Wit, H. (2002). Internationalization of higher education in the United States of America and Europe: A historical, comparative, and conceptual analysis. S.l.: Information Age Pub. Read More