Yogya Kids, a mother-made school<\/p>\n
Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
The sounds of a gamelan orchestra that were heard in the distance
\nsounded a bit strange, but after listening for a while, one would
\nrecognize it as a basic melody that is usually played by
\nbeginners.<\/p>\n
Indeed, several kindergarten children -- some were foreigners,
\nthe others locals -- sat on the floor intent on following what
\nwas told by their instructor.<\/p>\n
The children were playing gendhing Palaran with small-sized
\ngamelan instruments, specially designed for children. They were
\nearnestly practicing Javanese traditional music, something that
\nis quite uncommon among children nowadays in Yogyakarta even
\nthough the town is known as a center of Javanese culture.<\/p>\n
Welcome to Yogya Kids, a kindergarten and a playgroup, located
\nin the southern part of Yogyakarta. The school -- that used to be
\nexclusively for expatriate children living in Yogyakarta -- has
\ndeveloped into an international school, with a strong focus on
\nlocal culture.<\/p>\n
Take a look at the activities of these preschoolers. In
\nclasses they learn how to make jajan pasar (traditional snacks),
\nhow to play karawitan (Javanese traditional music) and how to
\nperform traditional dances. The school even invites a snake
\ncharmer and a bee tamer to the school as guest speakers. And like
\nother modern schools, the children also learn about computers.<\/p>\n
\"Honestly, we adopt the learning programs from many sources.
\nBut we don't copy any of them. We make our own programs for the
\nchildren,\" said Selly Sagita, the school advisor.<\/p>\n
The school currently has 80 students, 15 of them expatriates.
\nThe initiative to set up the school in 1996 originated from
\ninformal meetings between expatriates and wives of expatriates
\nliving in the city who felt the need to have a place for their
\nchildren to play and to study.<\/p>\n
At that time Yogyakarta did not have an international school.<\/p>\n
\"To overcome the situation, every week we met and took our
\nchildren to play with other children at the house of one of the
\ngroup. We took turns to host the meeting. If I am not mistaken,
\nthere were up to 25 children. And some of us acted as the tutor,\"
\nsaid Selly, who joined a student exchange program in Canada when
\nshe was a university student.<\/p>\n
From their discussions, it was agreed to set up a school for
\npreschoolers. Initially the activities were held at a warehouse
\nthat had been modified for the purpose. Selly provided the
\nequipment while some mothers volunteered as tutors. Yogya Kids
\ndeveloped well and found its character.<\/p>\n
\"In its development, there were many public figures in
\nYogyakarta who sent their children here. And now, most of those
\nwho send their children here are university lecturers.\"<\/p>\n
\"Even though it looks successful, I still donate a lot of
\nmoney for Yogya Kids. So, we plan to increase the school fees
\nstarting next year, otherwise, I will keep suffering losses,\" she
\nsaid without mentioning how much she donates to the kindergarten
\nevery month.<\/p>\n
\"Basically it is a visionary project. It's OK if I have to
\nsuffer some losses,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Each of the kindergarten children is charged Rp 150,000 a
\nmonth, while those who join the playgroup pay Rp 175,000 each.<\/p>\n
The children receive snacks, stationery and raw ingredients to
\ncook with. They also get a free health examination and are
\nentitled to join extra-curricular activities. All of the teaching
\nstaff are university graduates who are experts in their field.
\nFor example, the gamelan teacher is a graduate of the Indonesian
\nArts Institute of Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Yogya Kids also invites people with special skills like the
\nsnake charmer or the bee tamer. They come to the school with the
\nanimals so that the children can have a first-hand experience.<\/p>\n
The children really enjoy such activities. They also had a lot
\nof fun when the school invited a barongsay (Chinese lion dance)
\ngroup to perform at the school recently and allowed the children
\nto join the dance.<\/p>\n
In order to help the children develop love for the local
\nculture, the school management has decorated the walls with
\npictures of the characters from the wayang (shadow puppet)
\ntradition instead of those of the Disneyland or other foreign
\nfigures.<\/p>\n
\"We make illustrations like Punokawan (the funny characters in
\nwayang) so that they are familiar with them,\" said Selly, who
\nused to be a high school teacher.<\/p>\n
Even though it uses local materials, as an international
\nschool, Yogya Kids provides intensive English lessons for the
\nchildren. They have a special English class for 30 minutes a week
\nand every day the teachers also speak English with the children
\nso that the children are familiar with the language.<\/p>\n
That's Yogya Kids, an alternative, international school that
\nalso fosters the local culture.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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