Education is a conscious effort to prepare students for active and positive role in her life now and future, and Indonesia's national education is education that is rooted in Indonesia's national development goals.
This type of education is education that is grouped according to the nature and specificity of objectives and programs including education track consists of general education, education and other educational descent. And renewal efforts include juridical basis, The curriculum and its supporting structure, education and education personnel
Departing from the above definition, it can be understood that the formal education system of Indonesia is directed at achieving the ideals of the ideal of education in order to realize the dignity of civilization Indonesian nation. However, the real Indonesian education system is currently running on the tracks of life 'secularism' which is a view of life that separates the role of religion in regulating the affairs of life as a whole, including in the delivery of the education system. Although, the government in this attempt to obscure the reality of (secular education) that exist as revealed in the Law 20/2003 on National Education System article 4 paragraph 1 which states, "National Education aims to establish and pious man who believed in God the Almighty, have a certain character and high-minded, healthy, knowledgeable, competent, and become citizens of a democratic and responsible for the welfare of the people and homeland. "
Related to the condition of education in Indonesia, Abdul Malik Fadjar (Minister of Education in 2001) recognizes the truth of the assessment that the education system in Indonesia was the worst in Asia. He warned, education is strongly influenced by socio-political conditions, including issues of stability and security, for the implementation of education requires a sense of security. Responding to the survey results Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC), which states that the education system in Indonesia, the worst in Asia, namely from 12 countries surveyed by the institute headquartered in Hong Kong, South Korea is judged to have the best education system, followed by Singapore, Japan and Taiwan, India, China, and Malaysia. Indonesia ranks 12th, below the level in Vietnam (Kompas, 5/9/2001).
Education in USA operated by state and local governments, regulated by United States Department of Education through restrictions on federal funding. Children are required in most states to attend school from age six or seven(generally kindergarten or first grade) until they are eighteen (generally take them through twelfth grade, the end of high school).
Some states allow students to leave school at age sixteen or seventeen. About 12% of children enrolled in parochial or nonsectarian private schools. United States has many private institutions and public higher education competitive, and the local community college with an open policy. Of the total U.S. population above the age of twenty-five years, approximately 84.6% graduated from public high schools, 52.6% of them get into some college, and about 27.2% obtained a bachelor's degree, and 9.6% obtained a baccalaureate degree. Almost all the American people do not have an illiterate reached about 99% of the total. The United Nations gave the United States an Education index 0.97, which ranks 12th in the world.
