EducationalinvestmentinconflictareasofIndonesiaThe.doc

Educational investment in conflict areas of Indonesia: The case of West Papua Province Julius Ary Mollet Flinders University National Institute of Labour Studies moll0036@.au Education has become a central issue in West Papua. During the Suharto regime, the Indonesian government paid little attention to educational investment in the province which led to poor educational infrastructure and a shortage of teachers. As a result, the quality of human resources in the province is poor. Since 2001, the adoption of the Special Autonomy Law has seen education emerge as a priority program for local government. Improving the quality of human resources to match standards in other provinces has emerged as a new challenge for the province. The article highlights the critical issues relating to the education system, education investment and policy formulation to support the development of West Papua. Educational investment, conflict, Indonesia, West Papua, teacher shortage INTRODUCTION The United Nations has stated that education is fundamental to enhancing the quality of life and ensuring social economic progress (Todaro, 2000). This statement demonstrates the distinct correlation between education, the improvement of human resources and economic growth. Rumbiak and Mollet (2002) argue that investment in education is more important than physical development. However, the development of human resources is not as simple as building infrastructure such as houses, bridges or roads. It takes time and is long-term. In addition, Borjas (2005) has acknowledged that human capital involves a decision to acquire formal education. Workers who invest their time in education are willing to give up earning in the present in return for a potentially higher income in the future. Since West Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) became part of Indonesia in 1962, education has become a central issue. During the Suharto regime, the Indonesian government only gave minimal attention to education in the provinc