The Current Situation and Prospect of Sino-Indonesian Teacher Education Cooperation ——A Qualitative Study Based on 26 Principals from Indonesia

• In Event: Reforming Higher Education Systems in Southeast Asia: Cooperation, Capacity, and Equity

Proposal

Abstract
With increasingly frequent Sino-Indonesian teacher education cooperation, promoting it further becomes urgent. This qualitative study uses three-level coding of in-depth interview data from 26 principals. Findings show Indonesia needs to "introduce" due to teachers' development dilemmas, huge educational demands, insufficient resource development capacity and urgent talent training needs; China can "solve dilemmas" with sound teacher development mechanisms, rapid educational progress, outstanding achievements and rich resources; close cooperation and a relaxed international environment can "promote" cooperation. Future prospects include governments strengthening strategic alignment, universities acting as academic hubs for Chinese experience, and primary and secondary schools being frontlines for localized practice. This cooperation benefits both countries and provides a model for Global South educational cooperation.

Objectives
China and Indonesia, both major developing countries, emerging markets, and key forces in the "Global South," have been advancing their cooperative exchanges to new heights in recent years. In November 2024, the two countries issued a joint statement to further promote all-round strategic cooperation. As 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, how to write a new chapter of solidarity and mutual benefit has become a key focus, placing new missions on their teacher education cooperation.​
Over the past year, China has carried out multiple teacher education collaborations with Indonesia. These include digital education training programs for Indonesian principals and teachers, training exchanges for outstanding Indonesian principals in Shanghai, cooperation between Liuzhou Vocational & Technical College and Indonesian institutions to train 100 teachers and enroll 1,000 students, and Chinese language teacher training programs by Beijing Language and Culture University, Sichuan Normal University, Shanghai Normal University, and East China Normal University, with extensive participation of Indonesian teachers.​
To address this, this study collects empirical data through interviews with 26 primary and secondary school principals from 16 Indonesian provinces. It explores how these principals perceive Chinese teacher education, the effectiveness of Sino-Indonesian teacher education cooperation, and the future path of such cooperation, using qualitative research methods to provide answers.

Methods
This study mainly adopts the interview method. First, an interview outline is prepared, and then face-to-face interviews and paper-and-pencil interviews are conducted with 26 selected principals from 16 provinces in Indonesia to obtain relevant original information, which is supplemented by group interviews for cross-validation. Meanwhile, the study is supplemented by the literature method. By consulting relevant documents such as official documents of Indonesia's Ministry of Education, surveys and reports on Indonesia by international organizations, and papers in the Web of Science database, the survey results of this study are supplemented and cross-validated.
The interview data are mainly coded and analyzed using Nvivo12.0 developed by QSR International in Australia. Nvivo12.0 is a computer-aided qualitative analysis software capable of organizing, storing and analyzing data such as pictures, documents, videos, audios, emails and spreadsheets. After importing the collected interview data, it can use advanced data management systems, query statistics and visualization tools to more conveniently explore more valuable information, summarize general rules and present more reliable research conclusions.

Results
Current Status of Sino-Indonesian Teacher Education Cooperation
(1) Indonesian Teachers Need to "Introduce from Outside"
The need for Indonesian teachers to "introduce from outside" stems from internal demands in exploring cooperation paths. Fundamentally, Indonesian teachers face multiple dilemmas: insufficient motivation for development, inadequate capabilities, inadequate training, ineffective reform outcomes, low professional attractiveness, and resistance to changes from senior teachers.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's growing educational needs—driven by government development plans, demands for improved education quality monitoring, regional quality gaps, and principals' desire to enhance leadership—further stimulate the need to introduce educational experiences. The contradiction between the urgent demand for teaching resource development (curriculum design, educational technology application, STEM education, etc.) and weak local development capabilities also pushes Indonesia to "introduce from outside." Additionally, talent cultivation needs, aligned with people's educational aspirations and national development demands, reinforce this need.
Indonesia faces dual predicaments in teacher resources: overall shortage (781,000 teachers needed at the basic education level by 2023) and uneven regional distribution, with more severe issues in remote areas. Existing teachers also show insufficient competence, creating a gap with public expectations for quality education. Despite the "Indonesia Vision 2045" setting goals (12-year average schooling, 60% increase in higher education graduates) and increasing education budgets (Rp660.8 trillion in 2024, 20% of the national budget) to improve teacher capabilities, grassroots implementation faces obstacles (e.g., limited digital technology development capacity, low information literacy, rigid career promotion). Thus, "introducing from outside" becomes a key choice to break reform bottlenecks.
(2) Chinese Experience Can "Break the Dilemma"
Chinese experience supports cooperation feasibility by addressing Indonesia's educational challenges. Firstly, China has a sound teacher development mechanism, including clear planning, scientific career paths, strict selection and evaluation systems, teacher researcher systems, "mentorship" mechanisms, collective lesson preparation models, and in-service training, which are recognized by Indonesian principals.
Secondly, China's rapid development in teacher education—evidenced by its voice in international conferences, presence in academic competitions, international exchange programs, and global recognition of its experiences—strengthens its capacity to share practices.
Notably, China's outstanding educational achievements (high PISA rankings, strong math performance, high professional literacy of students) and rich resources (smart online platforms, quality educational technologies, diverse curriculum resources) provide solid support for solving Indonesia's problems.
Indonesia's poor PISA performance (ranked 74th in 2018, 66th in 2022) highlights the urgency to improve teacher quality. Given the ineffectiveness of domestic reforms, international cooperation is crucial. China's leading performance in PISA and TALIS, and successful experience in Sino-UK math teacher exchanges, demonstrate its ability to help Indonesia break through dilemmas through systematic solutions and transferable practices.

Author

• HUAYU SHEN