Head reveals secret of SMUN 8's success<\/p>\n
By Budiman Moerdijat<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): SMUN 8 Principal Elida Agoes unveiled Saturday
\nwhy her senior high school is a cut above other government-run
\nschools in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The secret is a combination of longer study hours, relatively
\ngood facilities, maintaining contacts with its alumni and, above
\nall, its ability to attract the best junior high school graduates
\nin Jakarta.<\/p>\n
SMUN 8, located in the Manggarai district of South Jakarta,
\nhas been given the title \"Senior High School-Plus\" by the Jakarta
\nAdministration, because of the consistently high percentage of
\nits graduates that go on to prestigious state universities each
\nyear.<\/p>\n
\"This is a 'plus' not a 'superior' school,\" Elida said,
\ncorrecting a public misperception that likens SMUN 8 to the
\nprivately run elite schools.<\/p>\n
\"A superior school must be superior in terms of its students,
\nfacilities, and teachers,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"SMUN 8 has not reached that level. This is an ordinary state
\nsenior high school which has been appointed by the government to
\nbe a 'plus' school.<\/p>\n
\"The 'plus' title was really given for the quality of our
\nstudents. Our facilities and teachers are more or less the same
\nas other state schools,\" Elida said.<\/p>\n
The title allows SMUN 8, unlike most other government-run
\nsenior high schools, to admit students from outside its
\ndesignated territory in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
From this academic year, which began in July, up to 10 percent
\nof the school's new intake could be from outside Jakarta.<\/p>\n
This year, SMUN 8 admitted 327 new students, bringing the
\ntotal to 1,218.<\/p>\n
Elida admitted that students at her school spend more hours
\nthan those at many other schools.<\/p>\n
Most students stay on until 3:20 p.m. for classes preparing
\nthem for national examinations.<\/p>\n
SMUN 8 also runs additional programs in computing, foreign
\nlanguages and accountancy.<\/p>\n
\"We have a cooperation program with Gunadarma University for
\nthe computer classes; there are 16 teaching staff from the
\nuniversity at SMUN 8,\" Elida said, adding: \"The program is
\nmandatory for the first and second year students.\"<\/p>\n
The school offers language lessons in German, French, Arabic,
\nand Japanese besides the mandatory English. \"Students have shown
\nenthusiasm in Japanese, while Arabic is the least popular.\"<\/p>\n
Elida emphasized the importance of the alumni's role in
\nenabling SMUN 8 to reach its present reputation.<\/p>\n
The alumni formed an association in 1979 which runs tutorial
\nclasses every weekend to help students prepare for the entry
\ntests to state universities.<\/p>\n
The classes were prompted by concern over the fact that very
\nfew SMUN 8 students were securing places at state universities.<\/p>\n
This has now changed.<\/p>\n
The tutorial classes have more than proved their worth. This
\nyear, 207 of the 275 final-year students who took part in the
\nclasses were admitted to top state universities.<\/p>\n
Students say they have no grudges about the longer hours.<\/p>\n
\"Although these are high-achieving students, they are just
\nlike any other teenagers,\" Windi Biotri, a second grader, said.<\/p>\n
\"Their only difference is in their intellectual capacity,\"
\nSari, another second grader, chimed in.<\/p>\n
Their colleague Putri admitted that the pressure got to her in
\nthe beginning. \"It seemed that my brain never stopped working.
\nBut after three months, I managed to adapt,\" she said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/head-reveals-secret-of-smun-8s-success-1447893297",
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