Indonesians mind their language at British Council<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The British Council has been in Indonesia almost
\nsince the country's independence.<\/p>\n
It was established here in 1948 and was then located in
\nBandung. About two decades later, it moved to Jl. Medan Merdeka
\nBarat, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"We only began to rent space here at the S. Widjojo Center,
\nSouth Jakarta, in 1979,\" director Neil Kemp said.<\/p>\n
It currently houses some 20,000 books, has 2,000
\nvideocassettes for rent, Internet and the BBC service, TVs with
\nheadphones, an English language center and a separate, fully-
\nequipped self-study center.<\/p>\n
The council has come a long way.<\/p>\n
Its mission has remained that of providing education and
\ntraining in the English language for Indonesians who are just
\nstarting out, but changing times and priorities have led to it
\naccommodating a lot more than that.<\/p>\n
With the council's aid, about 40 Indonesian universities have
\na link with those in the UK.<\/p>\n
Currently, the council is focusing on collaborations with more
\nthan a dozen universities in Eastern Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"This is to assist in the development of English language
\ncapabilities there,\" Kemp said.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta they work mainly with the University of Indonesia,
\nparticularly with the school of letters, but also with the
\nschools of sciences and technology.<\/p>\n
Other projects include postgraduate training both for
\nuniversity and office staff.<\/p>\n
With higher education funded by the Asian Development Bank and
\nthe World Bank, Kemp added that the British Council was providing
\n65 full scholarships this year.<\/p>\n
\"Considering the economic crisis, the British government is
\noffering an additional 400 partial scholarships as well,\" Kemp
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He added that some British universities are also providing a
\nreduction in fees and other living costs of up to US$7,000.<\/p>\n
What about the arts and cultural studies?<\/p>\n
\"We have a big cultural affairs group here,\" he said.<\/p>\n
They arrange various art and cultural events, including the
\nongoing film festival, photographic exhibitions, concerts, dance
\nperformances, theater, drama, storytelling and even workshops.<\/p>\n
Other than that, the council is also involved in environmental
\nand scientific programs.<\/p>\n
In terms of environment and education, he said, the idea is to
\nbring British students out to Indonesia to learn about forestry
\nand air pollution problems and ways to overcome them.<\/p>\n
\"We are also working with NGOs on environment, science,
\ntechnology and education,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The 120-member staff of The British Council comprises of over
\n80 percent Indonesians and less than 20 percent expats.<\/p>\n
\"We tend to use expats only as language consultants... there
\nare six in the office here amid some 80-odd people, plus of
\ncourse a few language teachers,\" Kemp said.<\/p>\n
For decades now the council's library has been a favorite with
\nIndonesian students here. It boasts around 10,000 library
\nmemberships, a high usage rate and an increasing number of daily
\nvisitors.<\/p>\n
\"Nearly all our library members are Indonesians so there is no
\nquestion of us losing members due to the political situation,\"
\nKemp chuckled.<\/p>\n
The concept of study currently used at the council, Kemp said,
\nis about focus.<\/p>\n
\"Teaching at The British Council is focused on undergraduate
\nand postgraduate English language learners and special readers,\"
\nKemp said.<\/p>\n
With the ongoing crisis however, the council has had to deal
\nwith its effects on the universities' student-exchange programs,
\naccording to Kemp.<\/p>\n
He added that they were also helping universities with
\nimported books.<\/p>\n
\"We recently received a letter from British publishers saying
\nthat they had put together a package of 250 books and that they
\nwould like to donate them to overseas universities,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"We told them that there were about 50 universities here and
\nasked for 50 packs.\"<\/p>\n
The council has had to bear some losses due to the political
\nsituation here, including paying compensation of $16,000 to a
\nmusic group scheduled to perform here on March 10, a day before
\nthe general elections.<\/p>\n
He added that for their anniversary gala on Oct. 16, they have
\nbooked a 20-member theater group which if canceled, will cost
\nthem somewhere between $10,000 to $50,000.<\/p>\n
The British Council has two language centers, one in Jakarta
\nand one in Surabaya, and is planning to open five more in
\ncollaboration with local schools.<\/p>\n
\"They will be established in Medan, North Sumatra; Tangerang
\nand Bandung, West Java; Semarang, Central Java; and Denpasar,
\nBali.\" (ylt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesians-mind-their-language-at-british-council-1447893297",
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