Improving service quality of district education offices in Indonesian decentralized education system
Creators: name: Haryanto, Agus
Publisher: name: RMIT University
Year: 2024

description: Decentralization of education administration is becoming a common thread in public governance as more developing and developed countries are trying to implement it in order to devolve some of their educational decision making processes. Precipitated by the economic and political crisis at the end of President Suharto regime in 1998 Indonesia passed its first decentralization law in 1999 (Law 22/1999). Not only strongly impelled by internal forces such as competing regions demanding more authority in managing natural resources, the country was also pressured by external forces, especially the International Monetary Fund in relation to debt resolution. Indonesia was given little alternative and was forced to decentralize most of its governing authorities (excluding defense, religious, security, fiscal, judicial, and foreign affairs) to local government. <br><br>As a result of this ‘big bang’ policy, Indonesia was unable to prepare for and implement the decentralization process smoothly. District Education Offices which received the bulk of decentralized education authority were not properly prepared to exercise their new and bigger mandates. Their organizational structure, personnel capacity, managerial skills and, most importantly, their capacity to provide for school needs were not properly prepared in advance. As a consequence, the implementation process was fluid, complex and, sometimes, confusing to local personnel and managers. Ironically, improved service quality as one of the main motives behind decentralization was neglected, if not sacrificed. <br><br>In the Indonesian context, especially at District Education Office level, service quality is the District Education Office’s ability to fulfill its obligatory functions to satisfy school needs. Delivering services depends on many different factors. In this research, respondents also perceived these factors in many different ways, but in relation to District Education Office mandates, it is easier to use a system approach covering input, process, output, and evaluation. The three elements are combined in a Minimum Service Standards discussed in this research.<br><br>Improving District Education Offices service quality certainly should involve improving all of the above mentioned factors. Targeted capacity building along with regular service quality assessment is two key strategies for improving District Education Offices service quality. Providing all the needed resources for District Education Offices and providing adequate training for its personnel is two important steps in capacity building. In addition, regular evaluation is needed to ensure that District Education Offices service quality keeps improving. In this case, service standards such as Standar Pelayanan Minimal or Minimum Service Standards are needed. The latest Government of Indonesia Minimum Service Standards as an instrument to assure District Education Offices service quality is considered no longer adequate. A new set of Minimum Service Standards as proposed by this research is needed to implement the latest law and regulation revisions and improve the performance of District Education Offices. If service quality of the District Education Offices is to improve, appropriate Minimum Service Standards developed during this research must be implemented and then regularly assessed. This, in turn, would contribute to the quality of teaching and learning processes at school level and finally to the quality of education in Indonesia.<br>