Special school helps children overcome learning difficulties<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Ronny is a smart, healthy and energetic boy, but
\nhe never sits still. He is always getting into trouble for being
\ndisruptive in class.<\/p>\n
But his teachers have found more serious problems as the boy
\nis still unable to write legibly despite trying extremely hard.<\/p>\n
The 10-year-old Ronny, now in the fourth grade, is making
\nlittle progress in school despite having an IQ level of 140 (the
\nnormal range is between 90 and 110).<\/p>\n
Amanda, aged eight, is described by her parents and teachers
\nas a bright girl. Her intelligence is above average but her
\nreading ability is that of a six year old. Neither her parents,
\nteachers nor a psychologist have been able to find any reason why
\nshe should find reading so difficult.<\/p>\n
Amanda's parents are puzzled and concerned because her
\nteachers have given up hope, meaning she will have to move
\nschool.<\/p>\n
Psychologists and medical experts describe students like Ronny
\nand Amanda as intelligent children who have significant but
\nunexplained difficulties in learning.<\/p>\n
There are hundreds or even thousands of students like them who
\nsuffer from specific learning difficulties (LDs) in one or more
\nareas of learning such as reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic
\nand language as well as motor coordination. All are basic skills
\nwhich are vital for a child's success at school.<\/p>\n
Data from the Ministry of Education and Culture shows that
\nabout two million children fail and drop out of school every
\nyear. The data also shows that 40 percent of the students failed
\nbecause they have learning difficulties and 25.4 percent of them
\nhave an above-average IQ.<\/p>\n
There are clear indications that this group of pupils has
\nalways been ignored or overlooked by the national education
\nsystem. Such students have been found in almost every classroom
\nsince the early l970s, but only a very few ever received
\nprofessional help.<\/p>\n
Because of inappropriate academic and emotional handling,
\nthese students are easily labeled by teachers, parents and
\nsociety as naughty and unintelligent or simply lazy. Experts,
\nhowever, do not agree with this stereotyped judgment.<\/p>\n
Dr. Atie W. Sukandar, together with a number of prominent
\nfigures such as Karlina Umar Wirahadikusumah -- the wife of
\nformer vice president Umar Wirahadikusumah -- and noted fashion
\ndesigner Harry Darsono, made a breakthrough by opening the
\nPantara elementary school in South Jakarta in August l997.<\/p>\n
It is mainly aimed at students with LDs, including those
\nsuffering from dyslexia, discalculia, disgraphia, disphasia and
\nattention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity.<\/p>\n
\"Our main objective is to change people's attitude toward
\nthese children. It is important for people -- teachers, parents
\nand the public, to understand that children with LDs are capable
\nand talented in many ways,\" said Atik, the chairwoman of the
\nPantara Foundation.<\/p>\n
Those children deserve a formal education and a proper place
\nin society, added Atik during a recent meeting of Pantara's
\nparents group. Unfortunately, most schools' academic programs are
\nnot designed to accommodate children with LDs.<\/p>\n
\"To further complicate the problem, educators and facilities
\nneeded to help such children are still lacking. This is mainly
\ndue to people's poor understanding of the issue,\" she added.<\/p>\n
In the standard schooling system, these children are often
\nunable to perform to their best. Ironically, the kids that fail
\nbehaviorally and academically in the mainstream schools have very
\nhigh IQ levels. This, she said, further emphasized the need for
\nan adaptive schooling system.<\/p>\n
\"These students need different styles of learning which
\ncombine flexible teaching methods, smaller class size, warm
\nlearning atmosphere, and qualified and cooperative teachers,
\nthings that are rarely available in ordinary schools,\" she noted.<\/p>\n
Pantara Elementary School currently has classes for four age
\ngroups, ranging from first to sixth grade, each with 33 students.
\nEach class is limited to only seven students with two to three
\nteachers per class.<\/p>\n
Pantara adopts the l994 national curriculum, dubbed by many
\neducators as being too rigid and burdensome for normal students,
\nlet alone for those suffering from LDs.<\/p>\n
Ida Farida, the school's principal, however, argues that the
\ncurriculum has been modified enough to meet the needs of each
\nchild. The school readjusts its programs to set more realistic
\ngoals that the students can fulfill.<\/p>\n
\"We are still in the nursery stage and we need a lot of
\nimprovements in our teaching methods,\" Ida admitted.<\/p>\n
Despite its shortcomings, the school management was encouraged
\nto see the results of the l997\/l998 academic year, which showed
\nthat most of Pantara's students were able to follow all the
\nschool subjects in accordance with the national curriculum.<\/p>\n
The establishment of this special school has provided
\nindicators that pupils with learning difficulties are able to
\nstudy the mainstream curriculum.<\/p>\n
Atik said the school planned to implement many programs in the
\nnear future, such as adding physical education facilities and
\nexpanding other facilities, training teachers and joint programs
\nwith other related education institutions both in Indonesia and
\nabroad.<\/p>\n
A student has to pay Rp 150,000\/month, excluding the fee for
\nextra curricular activities and necessary therapy.<\/p>\n
However, the school is facing serious financial problems in
\ncarrying out all the planned programs. Running a special school
\nsuch as Pantara requires considerable sums of money, not only to
\nprovide supporting facilities but also for a permanent school
\nbuilding.<\/p>\n
At present, the school rents part of a teacher training
\ncollege building on Jl. Akhmad Dahlan, Kebayoran Baru, South
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Unless support from related institutions, both private and
\ngovernment becomes available soon, the chance for children with
\nlearning problems to gain access to a good education will slim
\nsignificantly slim and they might well join the country's
\nmounting number of school dropouts. (raw)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/special-school-helps-children-overcome-learning-difficulties-1447893297",
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