U.S. Government Partners with North Sumatra to Improve Quality of Education

November 14, 2012

Medan – The U.S. Consulate Medan and the North Sumatra Provincial Government launched the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Prioritizing Reform, Innovation, Opportunities for Reaching Indonesia’s Teacher, Administrators, and Students (PRIORITAS) Program. This North Sumatra launch is a part of a $83.7 million USAID education program that will improve the quality of education in ten provinces.

Education is a key component of the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership, inaugurated by Presidents Barack Obama and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2010 to increase cooperation and deepen ties between the two nations.

In collaboration with the North Sumatra Provincial Government, USAID PRIORITAS program will work with teachers, principals, school committees, and students to address major challenges in providing students equitable access to good quality education and increasing teachers’ professionalism.

“USAID will help provide Indonesians in primary and junior secondary schools as well as madrasahs better access to a world-class education,” said U.S. Consul for Sumatra Kathryn Crockart. “We hope this program will help students in North Sumatra reach their full-potential and place them on the right path to success.”

In North Sumatra, the five-year USAID PRIORITAS program will support the provincial government to improve the quality of teaching and learning as well as management and governance in 10 districts which include Medan, Binjai, Deli Serdang, Tebing Tinggi, Tanjungbalai, Labuhan Batu, North Tapanuli, South Tapanuli, Sibolga and South Nias – and two others by 2013. The program will reach around 50.000 students in 208 primary schools, junior secondary schools, and madrasahs and indirectly reach hundred more schools. USAID PRIORITAS will improve the local and provincial government’s ability to coordinate, plan, manage and finance education services. The program will work with Universitas Negeri Medan (Unimed) and IAIN North Sumatra to strengthen teachers’ performance. Further, USAID PRIORITAS will improve district and school administrators’ capability in school management, financial analysis, and governance.

USAID PRIORITAS will directly benefit more than 300,000 Indonesian students in 10 provinces in North Sumatra, Aceh, West Java, Banten, Central Java, East Java, South Sulawesi, Papua, East Nusa Tenggara, and West Nusa Tenggara.

For more information please contact: Mahendra Danumurti (+62 21 3435 9384) , email: DMahendra@usaid.gov