International schools in Jakarta an attractive option for locals<\/p>\n
Simon Marcus Gower, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Jakarta, like many a world city, is a city of considerable
\ndevelopment. Many parts of the city, as they are today, would
\nhardly be recognizable in comparison to what they were some
\ntwenty or even just ten or five years ago. There are perhaps too
\nmany shopping mall developments but these can perhaps be seen as
\nincreasing the sophistication and cosmopolitan nature of the
\ncity.<\/p>\n
But it is in the nature of major cities to change and improve
\nand this is true also for the development of educational
\ninstitutes and facilities in the city. Many commentators and
\nobservers would recognize that Jakarta has been and still is in
\ngreat need of "educational development", but there have been
\ndevelopments that have improved this situation.<\/p>\n
Indeed parents in Jakarta are now able to reflect upon and
\ncapitalize on the availability of better alternatives for their
\nchildren. One parent recently discussed how his sons now have
\neducational opportunities that were simply not there when he was
\ngrowing up. Having worked hard in school and been fortunate
\nenough to earn a scholarship overseas this parent had experienced
\nfirst-hand the difference between "traditional and directive
\nIndonesian education" and a more open and "stimulating education,
\nbased on a Western model."<\/p>\n
For him it was and is a great relief that he can now send his
\nchildren to a school in Jakarta that more closely matches his
\nlater educational experiences and his own hopes and aspirations
\nfor the education of his children. So, in what form does this
\n"different model" for education come in within Jakarta?<\/p>\n
There are effectively two significant sectors of schools and
\nschooling that have emerged relatively recently that provide
\nthese alternative models of education for Indonesian people. At
\nperhaps the highest level are the numerous international schools
\nthat are now situated all over Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Previously and historically these schools would have been
\noutside of the consideration of Indonesian parents as they were
\npredicated on the notion of serving the international\/expatriate
\ncommunity alone. But now these schools are available to
\nIndonesian parents too. They offer the kinds of educational
\nstandards that would be met within their countries of origin but
\nin addition they assimilate aspects of the local context and
\nculture and this clearly provides them with a colorful mixture to
\ntheir school life.<\/p>\n
Many of these schools are using English as their language of
\ninstruction but other foreign languages are also available.
\nNoticeably, recently, more and more schools are recognizing the
\nvalue and importance of Mandarin Chinese within their curricula
\nand this has been true for the other sector of relatively recent
\ndevelopment in schools and schooling -- namely the sector known
\nas "national plus" schools.<\/p>\n
So in addition to the international schools there is the
\nfurther sector of schools -- national plus schools -- which has
\nalso been growing at a very significant rate. Similar to
\ninternational schools, these schools tend to target the teaching
\nof the majority of the subjects in English. Often a kind of mixed
\ncurriculum is adopted that utilizes overseas sources for
\ncurricula and combines them with Indonesia aspects and content.<\/p>\n
Both of these sectors are consistently more expensive options
\nfor schooling and regrettably this may mean that for the majority
\nof Indonesians they are an option which remains beyond their
\nreach unless there are sufficient scholarship programs being
\noffered.<\/p>\n
Such scholarships do happen and it can be a great joy and even
\nhonor to see underprivileged children get opportunities in
\nschools that would otherwise not be available to them. Also, it
\nshould be noted that, such "scholarship kids" are consistently
\nhighly diligent and capable and so in some sense they "pay back"
\nthe faith that has been placed in them with excellent effort and
\nresults. This too can be a motivator to other students.<\/p>\n
But even if these schools are often beyond the reach of
\n"ordinary Indonesians", there is another positive benefit that
\ncan emerge from their presence here. This we could perhaps
\ndescribe as a "trickle down" effect.<\/p>\n
Perhaps this point is not yet entirely clear, so an example
\nmay help to clarify. One Indonesian educator spent a number of
\nyears employed in a national plus school in Jakarta. As is quite
\nnatural he maintained links with his home town, still having
\nfriends and family back there. Also, he retained contacts with
\nformer colleagues and schools in his home town.<\/p>\n
Anytime he had sufficient time and money to return home he
\nwould, again naturally enough, carrying with him the new ideas,
\nmethods, teaching strategies and even materials that he was
\nreceiving in his working life in Jakarta. Now this is not to say
\nthat he was plagiarizing from his place of employment but rather
\nthat he was sharing ideas and concepts that could help his
\nfriends and schools back home.<\/p>\n
After so many years working, earning and learning in Jakarta
\nhe was able to return to his hometown, in an otherwise really
\nrather disadvantaged province of Indonesia and genuinely help in
\nthe development of education there; gaining as he did a position
\nof responsibility and respect within the educational context
\nthere.<\/p>\n
In this way it can be seen that the presence of a more
\n"international" model of education within Indonesia, is having a
\n"trickle down" or perhaps knock-on domino effect.<\/p>\n
The chances that teachers get to learn and develop in such
\nschools are considerable and almost inevitably they will and do
\nshare their learning and development with others. There is a real
\nsense in which a model of "on-the-job training" is happening here
\nand this is both reasonable and appropriate.<\/p>\n
It is reasonable and appropriate that teachers be learners;
\nthen and perhaps only then are they really teachers. Developing
\nand progressive schools clearly set up opportunities for teachers
\nto learn and advance learning and education in Indonesia. It is
\nto be hoped that this learning and development can become even
\nmore widespread.<\/p>\n
The writer is an education consultant.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/international-schools-in-jakarta-an-attractive-option-for-locals-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }