EXAMINING THE ISSUE OF ABOLISHING ENGLISH TUITION IN PRIMARY SCHOOL IN INDONESIA

Abstract

This paper examines the reasons behind the philosophy of the Indonesian government’s decision on abolishing English tuition in primary school. The Indonesian government has recently omitted English as compulsory tuition since English has been excluded in the curriculum at the primary level. The findings show that people have misinterpreted about whether English at the primary level is a compulsory, local-content or extracurricular tuition. In addition, it is found that teaching English at a young age is not practically efficient in Indonesia due to lack competence of teachers, unrelated syllabus and uninteresting teaching methods. Furthermore, the misconception of younger foreign language learners and cultural discrepancy are the other key findings in the issue provided. Ultimately, the implications of this article have given new insights on the issue of abolishing English tuition, whether it is effective or significant for primary students in Indonesia at this moment and condition.