90 students enter world-class universities, Sekolah Garuda Kaltim boosts student quality

Samarinda (ANTARA) - The East Kalimantan Provincial Education and Culture Office (Disdikbud Kaltim) states that the implementation of the Sekolah Garuda Transformation Programme provides evidence of improved quality and student achievements in the region. “The presence of the Sekolah Garuda Transformation not only accelerates the enhancement of education quality in reference schools but also successfully instils a positive competitive spirit in various other schools,” said Acting Head of Disdikbud Kaltim, Armin, in Samarinda on Saturday. He explained that this educational innovation aims to build a comfortable, enjoyable learning atmosphere that attracts children’s interest. One breakthrough of this transformation programme is the opening of international classes with full English instruction as a pilot project this year. SMA Negeri 10 Samarinda was selected as the initial location for the international classes due to its long-standing high academic culture and the readiness of teaching staff who passed rigorous selection. “As a result, this year the Sekolah Garuda in Kaltim has successfully placed 32 of its students into global-scale universities,” Armin revealed. Disdikbud Kaltim targets all schools in its region to achieve, or even surpass, the Enhanced National Education Standards (SNP Plus) by the end of 2028 at the latest. “To achieve world-class education standards, the local government collaborates with the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) through several renowned universities to directly support the learning process,” Armin stated. Disdikbud Kaltim specifically directs educational interventions towards enhancing thinking speed, writing skills, presentation techniques, and mastery of foreign languages for all students. The success of this programme’s implementation is proven by more than 90 students from flagship schools successfully gaining entry into various prestigious universities abroad. “Following this achievement, we plan to propose the addition of other schools such as SMAN 1 Balikpapan, SMAN 2 Sangatta Utara, and SMAN 3 Tenggarong to join the national education transformation expansion programme,” he said. Armin emphasised that the arrangement of a clean, tidy, and shaded school physical environment also serves as an evaluation benchmark and absolute requirement for every school principal to support the entire programme.