Good schools are rare<\/p>\n
We arrived in Sunter, North Jakarta, in July last year. Our
\nchoice of schools was limited by distance. However, at the time a
\nnew school called Singa Kindergarten had opened in the area. The
\nidea of having a school on the third floor of Plaza Metro Sunter
\nMall was strange, but then again anything is possible here.<\/p>\n
As the name suggests, the school program is based on a
\nSingapore model. A group from Singapore invited me to visit their
\nschool. I was introduced to the Singaporean teachers, not the
\nlocal teachers or the local principal. We were shown the material
\nand agreed the Singaporean model seemed like a good one. We
\nagreed to enroll our three-year old son in the program so we
\nsigned and paid for one year of schooling. Our son began school
\nin July. It didn't take us long to realize, however, that we had
\nmade a mistake.<\/p>\n
In September, much to our surprise, the Singaporean staff left
\nand the training period ended. At a parents' meeting, the
\nprincipal from Singapore tried to reassure us that the teachers
\nleft in charge were competent and were familiar with the
\nmaterials. But this was not the case. As soon as any problems
\narose, the local team was not able to solve any of them. At least
\nthey were a good intermediary between us and Singa Kindergarten
\nin Singapore.<\/p>\n
I'm not surprised that all the teachers, except one, has since
\nresigned. We had good faith, but this was certainly not the
\neducational program we wanted for our son. We stopped sending him
\nto Singa Kindergarten in October. Although the situation of the
\nschool had changed dramatically and we had good reason for
\ndiscontinuing the program, the school refused to refund our money
\nfor the unused terms.<\/p>\n
Let this serve as a warning to other expatriates.<\/p>\n
MATHILDE ALEXANDRE<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/good-schools-are-rare-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }