Adding international flavor

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cultural studies, are said to be outdated, inflexible and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.