FOR FOCUS ISSUE-PRESCHOOL

FOR FOCUS ISSUE-PRESCHOOL

Sudibyo M. Wiradji
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Helping kids to be creative through Si Komo

Though there is a growing interest among upper-class parents
to send their children to preschools with a Western curriculum,
there are still a few schools offering specifically Indonesian
curriculum that continue to receive a good response from the
public.

Among these are the preschools under the umbrella of the
Mutiara Foundation and the Mentari Foundation. The foundations
run play groups and kindergartens where children not only play
while learning, but also savor the pleasure of recognizing some
initial aspects of Indonesian culture at an early stage.

While such animal characters taken from Western culture as
Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse decorate most play groups and
kindergartens, the preschools run by the foundations feature a
komodo dragon popularly known as Si Komo, a central character
taken from children's tales written by Seto Mulyadi, the founder
of the foundations.

Basically, a Western curriculum and the curriculum offered by
Seto Mulyadi, better known as Kak Seto, both allow children to be
creative and active so that they will grow and develop.

"Preschools should be pleasing places that offer children
alternatives in activities," said Kak Seto, who chairs the
foundations and the National Commission on Children's Rights.

The preschools managed by the foundations also provide a
variety of traditional Indonesian games, such as ular tangga
(snake and leather).

"The games not only stimulate the children's creativity but
also make them emotionally and spiritually better," he said.
"With these games, the children are expected to be proud of
becoming an Indonesian, which allows them to appreciate their own
culture and helps promote their sense of patriotism and
nationalism."

The rapid growth of the Kak Seto preschools is partly the
result of the fact that parents agree with the schools'
educational principles, which encourage children, blessed with
their respective skills and potentials, to grow and to be
themselves.

"Our guiding principle is based on the belief that all
children are basically intelligent, creative and superior. And so
we just provide fertile soil for the superior seeds to grow," Kak
Seto said.

Based on these principles, all children are treated equally.
"Children are like flowers in a park. There are all different
kinds of flowers, like orchids, roses and sunflowers, and they
all have a right to grow and develop."

Therefore, all of the facilities at the preschools allow the
children to exercise their basic rights, such as their right to
play, grow, develop, listen to stories, express themselves and to
be proud of themselves, he said.

All of the activities at the preschools go back to Kak Seto's
idea that preschools should be operated in the "best interest of
the children". To be true to this idea, the preschools and their
teaching methods please the children because the schools put the
emphasis on allowing children to play cheerfully and creatively.

"While playing, children will unconsciously learn about many
things, such as manners, socialization, expressing gratitude,
disciplines and, in many cases, reading, writing, drawing and
arithmetic," Kak Seto said, adding that 80 percent of the time at
a preschool should be spent on playing and the remaining 20
percent for preparing children for elementary school.

Play sessions for children are held inside and outside, where
the children learn about nature and the environment. "The
important thing is they are encouraged to create things, such as
movements, drawing, songs or expressing ideas," he said.

The work of the preschools is inseparable from the active role
Kak Seto, as an educator, scientist and psychologist, plays in
conducting research on children.

Initially, Kak Seto established a play group called Istana
Anak-Anak(Palace for Children) in 1975 in the Taman Ria Senayan
Park, five years after joining the late Pak Kasur, the former
host of a children's TV program, as an assistant.

Kak Seto's play group was moved to a more strategic location
in Monas Square in Central Jakarta before he set up the Mutiara
Foundation in 1982, in response to the growing demand for play
groups and kindergartens using Kak Seto's educational system.

Due to the increasing demand for preschools, Seto began
cooperating with other parties to establish more preschools under
a franchise agreement. The play groups and kindergartens under
the management of Mutiara Foundation spread throughout Greater
Jakarta and to areas outside of Jakarta, including Cirebon and
Bandung in West Java, East Kalimantan and South Sulawesi.

The growing demand for schools prompted Kak Seto to establish
the Mentari Foundation in 2000. This foundation also runs play
groups and kindergartens, including Istana Kak Seto in Plaza
Atrium Segitiga Senen, Si Komo Children Center in Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta, Taman Keluarga Si Komo in Mal D'Best Cikokol Tangerang
and Taman Bermain Kreative Kak Seto in Cirebon, West Java.

To date, the two foundations run nearly 30 play groups and
kindergartens in the country.

Compared to preschools that use a Western curriculum, Kak
Seto's preschools offer relatively cheaper schools fees.
Admission fees range from Rp 3 million to Rp 4 million per child,
depending on the location. The monthly school fee is between Rp
125,000 and Rp 200,000 per child.

Because play is emphasized, teacher at the preschools are
people who can "smile and who love children".

"Certainly, the teacher should be good at telling stories,"
Seto said.