Abstract
This report is the final evaluation of USAID/Indonesias Decentralized Basic Education (DBE) program. The DBE program was the cornerstone of the United States assistance to education in Indonesia and was designed to directly respond to the Government of Indonesias priorities to decentralize and revitalize the education sector and focused on improving school management and governance and the quality and relevance of education in primary and junior secondary schools. The project was divided into three components: (1) assistance to local governments and communities to manage education services more effectively; (2) enhancement of teaching and learning to improve student performance, especially in key subjects such as math, science and reading; and (3) assurance that Indonesias youth gain more relevant life and work skills to better compete for jobs in the modern economy. The purpose of this evaluation is to assist USAID/Indonesia in the assessment of the impact of the three DBE programs on the quality and relevance of primary and junior secondary education in Indonesia. More specifically, the evaluation assessed: (1) how successful the three DBE programs were in achieving the primary goals; (2) the degree to which these goals have been met; and (3) the contributing factors that were responsible for or detracted from the achievement of these goals. In addition, USAID/Indonesia asked the evaluators to highlight any lessons learned or best practices from the implementation of the DBE program that could be applied to a recently-awarded new basic education program, Prioritizing Reform, Innovation, Opportunities for Reaching Indonesia's Teachers, Administrators, and Students (PRIORITAS). The evaluation concluded that all three DBE projects (DBE1, DBE2, DBE3) were aimed at addressing systematic weaknesses in the Indonesian education system. In each case, the DBE projects introduced important concepts and made significant in-roads toward improving school and district management and governance and teaching and learning outcomes in primary and secondary schools in Indonesia. Moreover, bringing education reforms to scale is incredibly difficult under the best of circumstances. Nevertheless, in the case of DBE, the "glass is half-full" and rapidly shrinking. When compared to the standard conventional Indonesian school, DBE schools are significantly better and the schools are better managed with greater community involvement, better teaching methods evident, and more enthusiastic teachers and students apparent. However, when compared to outstanding schools using active learning pedagogy, most of the DBE-partner schools were lack-luster with weak, inconsistent active learning methods being applied. In some schools, the program appears to be fading quickly. (Excerpt, modified)