Bali opens more schools to cater for expat kids

Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Second only to the capital city of Jakarta, Bali has been home to hundreds or probably thousands of expatriates living and working on the tourist island since the tourism boom in the l970s.

Historically, Bali has had a vibrant expatriate community dominated by artists and scientists since the early l930s. The intervention of wars and political struggles diminished their numbers greatly until the early l970s when a new generation of artists and young travelers rediscovered the island as one of popular tourist destinations in the world.

The rapid growth of the hospitality industry, the flourishing textile, garment and furniture industry has been luring experts, businessmen and professionals worldwide, many of whom have settled in Bali bringing with them their children or starting new families. Therefore, by the late 1970s, the need for an international school was very great.

In the beginning, a number of private study groups with tutors working with correspondence courses were set up but these only served as temporary solutions. What these expatriate school-age children needed most was a permanent school.

Fifteen years later, in September 1985, the Bali International School, was opened in Banjar Taman in Sanur, 15 kilometers east of Denpasar, to cater primarily for expatriate children.

In l992, around 150 elementary school students from 26 countries were enrolled at the school. In its 17th year of operation in 2002, as many as 250 students are registered with the school supported by 31 expat teachers and 50 Indonesian staff.

School director Dr. Jorge Nelson explained that while the rapid expansion of the enrollment mirrored the growth of Bali's tourist and manufacturing industries, it had also brought new challenges.

The nationalities of the children have become increasingly diverse, he explained. While previously students came mostly from North America, Europe and Australia, they were later joined by Japanese, Korean and Mexican nationalities. It should also be noted that many of the children have dual nationality, often with an Indonesian or Balinese parent.

In spite of fears that the ongoing crisis and political problems affecting Indonesia since l997 would cause financial problems and a drop in enrollment," We prospered with the influx of many new students from Jakarta and Yogyakarta," he said.

The school, which has accreditation from the New South Wales Department of Education and the Western Associations of Schools and Colleges, will expand to grade 12 next year. With the liberalization of the law on Indonesian education, Indonesian students are allowed to enroll at an international school.

As expat children are growing in number, more and more international as well as bilingual schools have opened in Bali.

The Australian International School (AIS) is one such example. The school is in Kerobokan in the Kuta area, west of Denpasar. Seventy students aged between two years and 18 years enjoy their education at the school.

"The school is accredited, inspected and recognized by the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Department of Education, and teaches courses recognized by them," maintained school principal Chris Pratt. Students in Year 10 who complete their studies receive their ACT Year 10 Certificate, indicating that they have completed high school to a standard acceptable to any Australian education system.

Students completing Year 12 receive the ACT Year 12 Certificate and Tertiary Entrance Statement. Students receiving these are qualified for entrance into Australian universities.

Pratt also said that students are also encouraged to actively participate in after-school activities such as silat (Indonesian martial arts), basketball, computer activities, gamelan (Balinese traditional gamelan orchestra), web page design and abstract arts.

"Students generally adapt very well to conditions here. The school is very friendly, everybody knows everybody else and newcomers are made very welcome. Many of our students are born of partnerships between Indonesian nationals and overseas partners," explained the school principal.

Students are mainly from the United States, British, New Zealand and Australian families, but Korean and Japanese families are also represented. Many other European countries are also represented.

In order to introduce children to the local culture, every student from kindergarten to Year 10 receives instruction in Bahasa Indonesia from Indonesian teachers. Many aspects of Indonesian culture and society are included in mainstream programs.

The other international school is the New English School, which follows the British educational system.

Dawn Herus, the school's head teacher, said the children are taught using the immersion methodology, where the child is taught in the English language in all aspects of learning. The books used are those recommended for teaching within the UK national curriculum.

"Class sizes are restricted and several teacher assistants help each teacher, to ensure pupils receive individual care and attention," Ms. Herus pointed out. Children's creative, physical and social skills are developed through a broad range of activities.

The New English School, located in Kerobokan area, has complemented its curriculum with a program that includes design and technology classes, information technology courses, Bahasa Indonesia and cultural enrichment studies.

"We have a Bahasa Indonesia program for each year level," she said. For this academic year, the school is introducing Indonesian cultural studies, which includes the history of Indonesia, geography and festivals. "We also do Balinese dances," she added.

Unfortunately, not all expat parents could afford international-standard education with expensive tuition fees.

Steve Keighran, headmaster of the newly established Antar Bangsa Community (ABC) high school, said the map of the current expat community in Bali had been changing drastically. In the past, the majority of expats coming to Bali were general managers of hotels, large companies or businessmen.

"They didn't mind paying high school fees for their kids. Many of them even received education allowances from their firms," Keighran said. Times are changing.

"A large number of foreigners are flowing into Bali to do small to medium enterprises, but they need a school for their kids," he said.

ABC high school was founded to cater for expatriates and Indonesian students whose parents were looking for an affordable international secondary education.

ABC offers courses based on Stages 4 and 5 (years 7 and 10) and Stage 6 (Years 11 and 12) of the New South Wales Board of Studies curriculum.

In years 7 to 10, the curriculum is based on outcome- statements of what students know and or can do. There are content requirements in most subjects, with enough flexibility for the school to cater for its diverse student population.

The school curriculum leads, in years 7 to 10, to the externally assessed School Certificate Examination and in years 11 and 12, to the externally assessed Higher School Certificate examination. Both the School Certificate and Higher School Certificate are internationally recognized Australian credentials.

With the help of rapid technological development and teaching methods, students here in Bali can excel very well. "The world- standard educational facilities available now in Bali cater to most parents' and children's needs," said Dawn Herus of the New English School.