Aiming at producing all-rounded children

Aiming at producing all-rounded children

SURABAYA (JP): There are currently several international
schools in Surabaya, so Japanese expatriates have options when
selecting the school of choice for their children while they live
and work in Surabaya.

In the past, they had to send their children to Surabaya
International School (SIS), which then was the only international
school in Surabaya.

But not all non-American parents were happy with SIS's
American education system.

But today, those -- including foreigners living in East Java
-- who do not wish to have their children educated in the
American system, could send their offspring to the Australian or
Japanese international schools, or reputable local schools.

The students of SIS, for instance, which is today the oldest
international school in Surabaya, are mostly American, who are
children of American diplomats, army officers, and expatriates
and businessmen in East Java. SIS is today the most popular
international school in Surabaya.

"We have 233 students, and they are from 26 countries," said
David Sheldon, vice president of SIS.

The faculty members and other staffers are of seven
nationalities, including Indonesian.

Until last year Indonesian children were not entitled to
enroll in SIS, but starting this year, the school has opened its
doors to locals too. The school aims to develop all-rounded
children so that they will be able to adapt and survive anywhere
in the world.

In 1996, Sekolah Ciputra (SC), a privately-run school, was
opened in Citra Raya (near SIS), in west Surabaya.

Most of its students are Indonesians. Only about 10 percent of
them are foreigners. However, SC uses native speakers of English
for its English language classes.

Today SC has 1,050 students and 70 teachers. SC has a
playgroup class, a kindergarten, an elementary school, a junior
high school and a senior high school.

On average, each class in SC has 24 students. Each class is
under the supervision of two teachers.

Two areas in common between SIS and SC are their outstanding
facilities and high tuition fee.

In SC, 80 percent of communication is conducted in English.

SC encourages the use of English from its playgroup level. At
higher levels, students are expected to be able to communicate in
English.

SC's mission is to create children with a balanced
personality, and a high mental and emotional intellect.

SIS's mission is quite similar. David Sheldon explained that
SIS wanted its students to assimilate and interact with each
other, across the cultures. This will help them in their future,
especially in the era of globalization.

Activity-based learning

When SC was established, the founders had wanted to implement
a mixed curriculum, 60 percent Indonesian and 40 percent
international.

The founders of the school include prominent figures like
Yaumil Agoesakhir, Suryanti, Michael Sembiring, Kresnayana Yahya,
Sutrisno, and Veronica.

SC's classroom management, including its class size, and
teaching methodology and aids are different from that of other
local schools but similar to those used in SIS.

SC and SIS apply activity-based learning, which is based on
student activity rather than teacher activity.

"In our school, we don't just transfer knowledge from teachers
to students, as used in traditional schools.

We encourage students to actively develop skills, according to
their ability and at their own pace," explained Barbara K. Cock,
executive director of SC.

The teacher's role is reduced, especially in giving
information. Their task is to create a stimulating environment
for learning, and guide and challenge students to explore through
their own activities.

The learning activities include discussions, presentations,
observations and experiments.

In language classes for instance, they are encouraged to
create a story, a book or a poster. "Language learning must
result in something concrete," said Elizabeth Noske, the
principal coordinator of SC's elementary school.

Learning resources are not only limited to textbooks. They can
gather information from audiocassettes, CDs, CD-ROMs, slides,
VCDs and the Internet, all made available for the students.

One of the students' favorite activities is "making-the-shop".
Here students go shopping to learn to make contact with society
and put into practice their knowledge of economics, and at the
same time, have fun.

The elementary students especially enjoy these learning
activities. The activity-based learning is designed to develop
students' intellect, including their emotional and social
intellect. At every academic level, students are encouraged to
form their own concepts, to rationalize and not just memorize, to
solve problems, and to appreciate differences.

For such ideal goals, the quality of teachers is an important
element.

SC only recruits teachers with a minimum bachelor's degree,
but many of their teachers also have a master's degree. Unlike
teachers in local schools, teachers in SC are not allowed to
moonlight.

They spend most of their day in school because the school
hours are from 7.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. However, they are well-
paid. More interestingly, the teachers come form different parts
of Indonesia. So SC is a melting pot of different cultures.

In SIS, classrooms are usually small with 25 students at the
most. At the elementary level, students learn science,
mathematics and a foreign language (French or Indonesian). They
also do art, music and computer studies.

Networking

Starting next year, there will be two preparatory programs for
high school students in SC.

Students who wish to continue their studies in Indonesia will
be prepared for the Ebtanas (national examination).

While others who intend to continue their studies abroad, will
be prepared for the Victorian Certificate of Education. With this
certificate, students can apply to foreign universities.

SC also has joint programs with Melbourne University in
Australia. It is also collaborating with New Zealand and Beijing
for its home stay programs. Last year, SC sent 10 high school
students to Melbourne for a study tour. They were given the
opportunity to explore the possibility of continuing their
studies in Australia in future.

In July this year, 20 SC students will be flown to Beijing and
another 20 to Melbourne, for a three-week home stay program.

SIS also plans to work with other schools in Indonesia,
especially at the senior high school level. It also has plans to
have joint programs with schools in Miami, Singapore and Kuala
Lumpur.

"This can be done by organizing soccer tournaments or cultural
festivals," explained Sheldon.

-- Riadi Ngasiran and Sirikit Syah