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