In large and developing nations such as Indonesia, any reform aiming to create a high-quality teaching force is an ambitious but necessary endeavour. Indonesia has undoubtedly made progress in the last two decades, enhancing access, improving gender equity, and integrating information and communication technology (ICT) into teaching and learning. Since 2005, Indonesia’s enactment of the Teacher Law has sought to improve educators’ credentials and professionalism and increase respect for them. Although there has been significant progress since, Chang et al. (2014) note that more work is needed to improve the overall quality of teachers, teaching, and education. In particular, they note that more emphasis needs to be given to improving teacher preparation and creating more effective and impactful professional development programmes.

In order to assist Indonesian teacher educators in responding more effectively to these challenges, The HEAD Foundation organised a three-day seminar at Universitas Negeri Jakarta (UNJ) in April 2018. This Professional Learning Programme (PLP) included presentations, discussions, and the sharing of best practices in teacher education. This policy brief seeks to summarise the PLP sessions and provide information and insights on how Indonesian colleges can rethink teaching and learning, and better prepare teachers and leaders in the light of Industry 4.0.

About this Policy Brief

This policy brief was written by Professor S. Gopinathan, Academic Advisor of The HEAD Foundation. This document is a synthesis of the discussion and presentations made during the run of the Professional Learning Programme conducted in 2018 by The HEAD Foundation at the Universitas Negeri Jakarta (UNJ). The author would like to thank Dr Uma Natarajan and Ms Rachel Thng for their assistance in drafting this policy brief.