Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) hosted the 27th International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) from January 2–7, 2014, at the Royal Ambarrukmo Hotel. The event brought together 375 participants from 33 countries, including education researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, to discuss global education issues and innovations. Indonesia became the third Asian country to host ICSEI, following Hong Kong and Malaysia.
UNY Rector Prof. Dr. Rochmat Wahab, M.Pd., M.A. emphasized the international significance of the event, calling it a moment of recognition for Indonesia’s academic standing. However, he expressed concern over the absence of Indonesian policymakers, stating that their participation was crucial to translating discussions into impactful educational reform.
Dr. Widyastuti Purbani, the event's secretary general, echoed this sentiment, noting that efforts had been made to involve legislative and executive representatives, but none attended. She underlined that the goal of ICSEI is to bring together all key stakeholders in education for meaningful dialogue and collaboration.
Prof. Slamet, Ph.D., from the organizing committee, pointed out that Indonesia’s main education challenges lie in policy and implementation. He added that ICSEI offered valuable global insights for addressing these gaps. At the closing ceremony, Prof. Wahab symbolically handed over the ICSEI flag to Dr. Samuel Stringfield of the University of Cincinnati, the next host of ICSEI 2015 in the United States.(Dedy)
