Schools certified with ISO for quality, management

The Jakarta Post,  Fri, 03/06/2009 2:00 PM   

JAKARTA: A total of 27 schools in the capital received ISO 9001:2000 certificates on Thursday for having good education quality and more professional school management. 

Two schools, state high schools SMA 6 and SMA 70, which were once in the media spotlight for their ongoing students brawls, are also included. 

The appraisal of the schools was carried out by Center for Research and Development on Education Management (CRDEM), which cooperated with the city education agency. 

"We surveyed the schools' curriculum, teaching system and students, as well as their financial conditions, to see whether they have been managed well," said CRDEM director Ridwan Muhammad Yusuf. 

He added schools notorious for their students feuds receive the certification because they had changed their control systems. 

"We also examined the students' behavior after school, and they have made a good progress," he said. 

"The feuds were mainly caused by the lack of a control system in the schools, but now they are getting better," Ridwan said. 

But he warned the certification would be withdrawn should the schools fail to maintain their performance. 

In 2008, 15 schools were certified. Governor Fauzi Bowo said the certification was an educational transformation toward world-class quality-based and professional school management. -JP