Old Dutch schools rekindle the past<\/p>\n
By Ida Indawati Khouw<\/p>\n
Unlike so many colonial buildings in Jakarta which have been
\ndemolished over time, many schools built by the Dutch in the
\nearly 1900s still exist. Local authorities have named five school
\nbuildings for the list of protected historical sites in Jakarta.
\nThis is the 30th story in a series of Jakarta's historical
\nprotected buildings and sites published in the Saturday edition
\nof The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In the early days, Dutch schools in Jakarta were
\nonce dubbed as the most prestigious in the country.<\/p>\n
At that time, only children of ruling colonial masters and the
\nwealthy pribumi (local residents) were allowed to study at these
\ncolonial schools.<\/p>\n
If you have any doubts about this fact, just ask your
\ngrandmother or grandfather. They might not only tell you about
\nhow Indonesian children struggled for the opportunity to learn
\nthere but may also continue to relive their memories by telling
\nyou more about this historical period.<\/p>\n
Four of the five buildings, most of which have faced several
\nrenovations, are located in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
They are the SMPN I junior high school in Cikini, STM I
\ntechnical high school on Jl. Budi Utomo in Sawah Besar area,
\nnearby SMUN I senior high school and SMKK Negeri Jakarta
\nvocational high school on Jl. Sutomo.<\/p>\n
The other building is on Jl. Manggarai Utara I in South
\nJakarta and is now the SDN 01 Manggarai Utara elementary school.<\/p>\n
The five buildings, now all run by the state, were mostly
\ndesigned using Indische architecture with high ceiling and wide
\nwindows to beat the tropical climate.<\/p>\n
The 91-year-old Cikini school building was originally the
\nprominent Hollandsch Inlandsche School (HIS elementary school)
\nand also for students of the Meer Uitgebreide Lagere Onderwijs
\n(MULO junior high school).<\/p>\n
Built in 1909, the building still has its original high roof
\nand extra wide windows in its classrooms. Those who once had the
\nprivileged opportunity to attend lessons in these classrooms
\nwould instantly be taken back in time to their childhood.<\/p>\n
The same atmosphere also exists in the SMUN I building, which
\nused to be the Algemeene Middelbare School (AMS). It would have
\nbeen equal to a senior high school today.<\/p>\n
Built in 1930, the construction of the building remains
\nsolidly intact with its broad corridors. A courtyard in the
\nmiddle of the building is still used for sport activities as it
\nwas in its former days.<\/p>\n
Headquarters<\/p>\n
At one time, the AMS building was once used as the
\nheadquarters of the Indonesian Navy (BKR Laut Pusat), before
\nbeing occupied again by Dutch soldiers (NICA).<\/p>\n
A few years after independence was granted in 1945, the
\nbuilding was the state-owned SMUN I school, also known as SMUN I
\nBudi Utomo.<\/p>\n
In 1977, a three-story building was built at the rear of the
\nmain building to help accommodate the large number of students.<\/p>\n
The school authorities received an award in 1993 for its
\nremarkable work in maintaining the original design of the
\nbuilding.<\/p>\n
Next door is the STM I technical school, which used to be the
\nKoningin Wilhelmina School. Here, however, some minor damage can
\nbe found to the building.<\/p>\n
SMKK Negeri Jakarta was constructed in 1932 and used to be the
\nEuropeesch Lagere School (ELS), an elementary school for Dutch
\nchildren.<\/p>\n
Another protected school building, SDN 01 Manggarai Utara in
\nSouth Jakarta, used to provide classes only for children of top
\nofficials of the Dutch Staat Spoorwegen railway company since the
\nschool was constructed in their housing complex.<\/p>\n
Built in 1916, the building was originally called Marschalk
\nLand. The roof was built with another directly above, both at the
\nsame degree of angle. The small space in between allowed a
\ncontinuous flow of air to ventilate the rooms below.<\/p>\n
A small tower was constructed at the top of the roof.<\/p>\n
Like SMUN I Budi Utomo, this school also got a similar award
\nfrom the government.<\/p>\n
Education expert J. Drost said the Dutch colonials started to
\nintroduce the formal schools here simply because they \"needed
\npeople to work at the colonial service\".<\/p>\n
Previously, the school system was initially in the form of
\nreligious institutions, such as pesantren (Islamic boarding
\nschools) and those run by the Dutch Christian missionaries.<\/p>\n
A historian from the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Lee
\nKam Hing, wrote in his book Education and Politics in Indonesia
\n1945-1965 that the first major step in educational development
\nhere was started in September 1848 \"when the Dutch came to
\nrealize that without some Western-type education, the Indonesian
\nnobility and village heads, upon whom the system of forced
\ncultivation or cultuurstelsel relied, could not be effective\".<\/p>\n
Another education expert, H.A.R. Tilaar, wrote in his book 50
\nTahun Pembangunan Pendidikan Nasional 1945-1995 (50 Years of the
\nDevelopment of the National Education 1945-1995) that the
\ndiscriminative education system was aimed at maintaining Dutch
\nrule here.<\/p>\n
\"That's why education at that time was so selective and was
\nprovided only for elite indigenous people, while at the same time
\nlimiting the majority of children from having broader or higher
\neducation.\"<\/p>\n
However, Tilaar said, the education had a boomerang effect on
\nthe colonials as through the Dutch schools, intellectual
\nIndonesian nationalists were born.<\/p>",
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