AIS students motivated to exel

AIS students motivated to exel

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Sandy Lokas could not utter a word in English when he registered
at the Australia International School (AIS) in Kemang, South
Jakarta, three years ago.

Now the 17-year-old is one of the school's top graduates and
near the top of the recently released University Admission Index
(UAI).

The UAI is used to determine admission to Australian and
international universities.

One-third of AIS students in Indonesia, according to the
school, scored over 90 percent on the UAI.

"Our 30 recent graduates are from various nationalities. At
least 10 of them graduated with scores of over 90 percent in the
UAI. And the great news is that the two top-scoring students are
Indonesians," AIS communication director Julie Hilton told The
Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Sandy scored a 93.30 and classmate Henry Santosa scored a
92.45 on the UAI.

Thanks to these impressive scores, Sandy has been accepted at
the School of Banking and Finance at Griffith University in
Queensland, Australia, while Henry is now studying information
technology in Singapore.

"In fact, most of our students are accepted at prestigious
universities abroad," Hilton said.

Both Sandy and Henry attributed their success to AIS' unique
learning environment, educational approach and its teachers.

"I used to study at a local school and noticed a huge
difference when I came to AIS. It's such a supportive learning
environment and the teachers are so fantastic. They really make
you want to try your best," Sandy said.

Hilton said the school, which currently has about 600 students
from elementary school to high school on four campuses in
Jakarta, offered a multicultural approach to learning that took
into account the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the
students.

"We accept students regardless of their backgrounds --
including religion, race or ethnicity -- and try to focus on them
individually. We also have an extraordinary English program to
cater to such a diversity of backgrounds," she said.