It's time to standardize bilingual education<\/p>\n
Eric E. Hallett, Jakarta<\/p>\n
There has been a recent push by schools across Southeast Asia
\nto extend their use of English in the classroom to include not
\nonly language instruction, but also subjects traditionally taught
\nin their students' native or national languages. They are
\nshifting towards bilingual education.<\/p>\n
This shift has been undertaken to meet the demands of ASEAN
\ngovernments which are placing more-and-more emphasis on the use
\nof English in science, education, and business as a means to
\ngreater competitive advantage.<\/p>\n
The following excerpt from a recent edition of Singapore's
\ndaily newspaper, The Straits Times, provides a compelling example
\nof this in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
School principals and administrators have been told they must
\nmake every effort to ensure that pupils master English. \"I don't
\nwant to hear excuses,\" said Education Minister Hishamuddin
\nHussein who launched a program...to improve the teaching of
\nEnglish in the country. \"As a trading nation, our children's
\ncompetence in English is a survival skill.\"<\/p>\n
It is clear from examples like this that leaders in the region
\nconsider the use of English in the classroom as critical to
\nfuture national success. This is also true for Indonesia even
\nthough national leaders have not been as outspoken about the role
\nof English in the country's development as neighboring leaders
\nlike Mr. Hussein.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the need for effective communication in English
\nis just as paramount in Indonesia's classrooms as in other ASEAN
\ncountries, if not more, given the country's current lack of
\ncompetitiveness and slow growth compared to other competitive
\nASEAN economies.<\/p>\n
It is vital, if Indonesia wishes to keep pace with its
\nneighbors, that Indonesia's schools be equipped to lead students
\ninto meaningful communication in English, as well as Bahasa
\nIndonesia, in subjects that have global significance such as the
\nsciences and mathematics.<\/p>\n
There are two approaches to accomplishing this. The first is
\nto simply allow market principles to function and let
\nadministrators develop programs where demand is obvious. This is
\nalready being done in many private schools where Bahasa Indonesia
\nis the primary language.<\/p>\n
This method has its merits and is a commendable first step
\ntoward providing bilingual education in Indonesia, but it also
\nhas its drawbacks. If left to the dictates of the market,
\nbilingual education will become the domain of the economic elite
\ndue to its inherent costs. In other words, those who can afford
\nit will have it, those who cannot afford it will not. In this
\ncase bilingual education simply becomes another luxury for the
\nprivileged and an impediment to future opportunity for the
\neconomically disadvantaged.<\/p>\n
In addition, teachers in the public domain do not have access
\nto the same level of training as their counterparts in more
\nexpensive private schools. Generally speaking, they are
\ncompetent with English linguistics, but lack confidence in their
\nown communication skills. The resources for additional training
\nare difficult for them to obtain. They are often left behind in
\nprofessional development unless government funding is available.<\/p>\n
Another pitfall of the market approach to bilingual education
\nis the inevitable scam by institutions which promise bilingual
\ninstruction, but have neither the instructors nor the curriculum
\nto carry out their promises. In this case, bilingual instruction
\nsimply becomes a marketing ploy at considerable expense to the
\nconsumer with no return.<\/p>\n
The second approach is to include bilingual education in the
\ngovernment's portfolio of standardized curriculum. Government
\nguidelines would then be recommended for teacher qualification,
\nteacher evaluation, and material selection. Government
\ninvolvement would also help coordinate disbursement of funds for
\nteacher training.<\/p>\n
Schools which are able to meet the minimum criteria for
\ncompetent bilingual instruction would receive government
\naccreditation and be able to offer approved instruction in both
\nBahasa Indonesia and English.<\/p>\n
Standardization and accreditation would help \"level the
\nplaying field\" by providing all schools with access to basic
\ncurriculum and fundamental training materials for teaching in
\nmore than one language. This would allow students at all socio-
\neconomic levels to benefit from bilingual instruction, even if
\nthe benefits are limited to begin with. It would also help to
\neliminate questionable bilingual course offerings from
\nunaccredited programs.<\/p>\n
The shift in Southeast Asia towards bilingual education is
\ngaining momentum and cannot be overlooked as an educational
\nimperative for the future. Private schools have taken a bold
\nfirst step in the move toward bilingual education in Indonesia.
\nIt is now time for the entire society to look at the benefits of
\nusing more than one language in the classroom. Because bilingual
\neducation is much more than a simple market luxury, the
\ngovernment must become involved in its widespread implementation
\nif Indonesia wishes to retake its competitive position in the
\nregion.<\/p>\n
The writer is the former Head of the Business English Center
\nat Prasetiya Mulya Business School and currently serves as
\nPrincipal Consultant and Adviser to IPECS Consulting, a
\ncommunications consultancy specializing in bilingual education.
\nHe can be reached at ipecs@cbn.net.id.<\/p>",
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