Adding international flavor

By Simon Wellington

"We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control." Pink Floyd's 1979 anthem doesn't call for the abolition of education, but stresses the need for change from what has been taught so far.

JAKARTA (JP): In many societies throughout the world those words still hold relevance, while in Indonesia the Ministry of National Education is cooperating with international schools here to develop a new educational blueprint for this country's students in a bid to ensure that they don't become "just another brick in the wall".

Indonesia is home to a large expatriate population representing a diverse range of nationalities.

To accommodate the specific needs of this ever-expanding foreign community international schools became essential to ensure that expatriate children could maintain an education similar to what they would receive in their home countries.

There are currently 42 international schools located in eight of Indonesia's provinces.

They adopt curricula and employ teachers from many different countries.

These institutions have developed a reputation for offering better educational systems, more professional teachers and more sophisticated facilities than local schools.

However, until recently, Indonesian students have not been allowed to attend international schools.

This restriction has contributed to the decision of many Indonesian parents to send their children overseas, where it is also believed they will receive a more qualified or specialized education than is available under Indonesia's national curriculum.

The national curriculum has been the focus of increasing criticism recently and condemned as an impediment to the nation's progress. Some of the curriculum's core programs, which include Pancasila (the state ideology), religious studies and basic cultural studies, are said to be outdated, inflexible and suffocating in terms of creativity and innovation.

"A rigid, centralized curriculum will no longer be effective. Such a curriculum can easily be manipulated by the government to serve the interests of the status quo," said Abdilla Toha, a National Mandate Party executive, at an education seminar in March this year.

The Ministry of National Education is responding to this criticism through several initiatives aimed at reforming the national education system.

In a trial program that involves cooperation with international schools based in Indonesia and liberalizing the environment in which some local schools operate, the ministry is mapping a new educational framework that will ultimately provide greater opportunities for all Indonesian students.

The ministry recently invited international schools to participate in a pilot program, whereby a limited number of Indonesian students are permitted to attend the schools for a prescribed period of time.

The project is envisaged as a way to improve communication and interaction between different types of schools and to help upgrade the national curriculum.

The ministry's Director General of Primary and Secondary Education, Indra Djati Sidi, believes that this cooperation will be crucial in determining the potential of Indonesian students.

"This is one small part of our strategy toward improving the national education system. We would also like to know how our students perform within this international environment.

At the end of the program, we will test them and interview them to establish their performance against the international standards," he said.

The Australian International School (AIS) is one school to have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the ministry that has allowed them to accept 20 percent of their enrollments from within the local community.

AIS Head of School Russell Keogh says that this program is important for Indonesian and foreign students alike.

"AIS cooperates closely with the Ministry of National Education and supports their efforts to reform the education environment in Indonesia. Australian International Schools Indonesia are multicultural and reflect the diversity of the Indonesian nation as well as the diversity of the expatriate community in Indonesia," he said.

Jakarta International School (JIS) Deputy Headmaster Jean Vahey also agrees with the benefits of learning within a multicultural environment.

"Our students come from 65 different countries and our teachers from 23 different countries. Students learn to work with many different nationalities and this is a benefit to their future employment opportunities," she said.

Because the curricula and teaching methods employed by international schools draw on world best practices, it is also expected that students will have a greater chance of improving their national and international prospects with the qualifications that they will receive from these schools.

"A major advantage for students attending the AIS is that all senior courses are accredited by the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Education Department.

This gives students the opportunity to receive a Year 12 Certificate and a University Admission Index, which are recognized Australia-wide and internationally. The students at AIS are able, therefore, to access post-secondary education across the globe, as well as our own post-school TAFE program," Keogh explained.

On graduating from JIS, students apply to universities around the world. The JIS Diploma, the International Baccalaureate Diploma, and the Advanced Placement International Diploma that are offered at JIS are recognized and accredited worldwide.

"Ninety-five percent of JIS graduates enter college or university. About 40 percent of JIS graduates attend universities in the United States, 14 percent universities in Korea, 11percent in Australian universities, and the remainder in Japan, Europe, Canada, and other countries," Vahey said.

International schools generally place a greater emphasis on learning to question teachers, parents and the world around them. Memorization is discouraged, diversity of thinking and creative criticism is encouraged.

"We have to change our approach from teaching to learning," Indra said. "Students learning from teachers and teachers learning from students. We must consider students as partners in the learning process in order to improve their overall capabilities."

All students attending international schools face the same entry requirements, whether expatriates or locals. And, of course, they must be able to pay the fees.

Although these high fees would not be affordable for the average Indonesian family, compared to the amount of money spent by wealthy Indonesian families who send thousands of Indonesian students to study overseas every year, it may be an attractive alternative for some.

However, there is one other alternative initiated by the ministry, which caters to those who are looking for education excellence at home.

National plus schools are a group of local private schools offering a revised curriculum, blending the best of the Indonesian national curriculum and curricula from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Britain and the United States.

In a bid to meet international standards, English is adopted as the daily language.

Two systems have been used in implementation of the scheme. The school-based management program provides schools with more authority to decide what is needed to improve the curriculum, while the community-based program involves the local community, through a school council, school management and other stakeholders.

"This encourages the development of a small democratic society within the school. Principals and the community will work together to determine for themselves what is best for the school," Indra said. "It also encourages more transparency and accountability within the schools."

The ministry's new initiatives are part of a comprehensive process that will inform them how to best modify the national curriculum to meet international standards, while also considering the competency levels of Indonesian students working within an international framework.

"By looking at these students we will know their level of competency and establish what can be included in any new national curriculum," Indra explained.

"Hopefully by 2002 or 2003, there will be a new national curriculum operating within Indonesia. Any new curriculum will be a competency-based curriculum. In this era of globalization we need to set up international standards," he said.