Bilingual education and the myth of national plus schools

Bilingual education and the myth of national plus schools

Pieter Van Der Vienhart, Tilburg, Netherlands

The matter, and even it seems growing problem for many
Indonesian schools currently, of bilingual education has received
scrutiny from a number of different writers in this newspaper.
From an Indonesian teacher (Alex Tubagus) to a visiting/ resident
researcher (Jan Dormer) and a consultant on communication (Eric
E. Hallet), various perspectives have been highlighted in these
pages.

Each of these contributors, in their own way, has added
something to the debate and indeed development of bilingual
education in and for Indonesian schools but it is very important
that we retain a realistic and as accurate and true a picture of
what is really happening in Indonesia currently. This, also, very
directly means that we do not simplistically pass over and ignore
the real concerns that exist throughout the Indonesian schooling
system and its various sectors and segments.

Tubagus in his article, which seemed to spark some of the
debate in this newspaper, expressed his concern that the English
language was being incorporated into Indonesian schools at the
expense of the first language of Bahasa Indonesia. This is a
priori, both a mistake and rather an offense in the context of
bilingual education as it very directly entertains the notion
that one language must supersede another. This is not
bilingualism at all. This becomes even more offensive and wrong
when we consider that a foreign language is being placed ahead of
the native tongue.

But alongside this concern, that English is inappropriately
being pushed to take over from the native language, there has to
be the concern that the English language is, quite frankly, being
hijacked for marketing purposes for schools to gain enrollment
and this brings us to the notion of these "national plus" schools
of which Hallet was only fleeting in mentioning and really rather
over-trusting and believing.

The idea that these "national plus" schools are all well-
equipped and staffed to be able to fully and professionally offer
bilingual programs of study is both a shallow analysis and an
oversimplification of what is really happening on the ground.
While there are some schools that use the banner -- and let us
face facts -- as a marketing tool of the name "national plus"
school that are well-equipped and managed to offer such programs,
there is a bitter reality that there are too many schools
claiming this "national plus" status that are neither well-
managed nor equipped to do any such thing.

In addition, there is the difficult and quite disturbing
reality that these "national plus" schools are quite often little
or no better than Indonesian state schools. This leads to the
quite peculiar situation wherein a school and its staff may
consider itself to be better, and is notably more expensive, than
a state school while the contrary is true. State schools may be
found that are significantly better than these questionable
"plus" schools and yet are significantly cheaper in terms of
fees.

Indeed, when speaking to more cynical people about certain
"national plus" schools (and this includes unhappy parents that
have subsequently withdrawn their children from these schools) a
general comment is that "the only real plus that exists is the
plus, plus, plus to the price of the enrollment and tuition fees
for such schools".

The whole notion of bilingual education in this context
becomes problematic and worrisome. English is being used to
justify expensive schools without sufficient educational
credentials and credibility. Some schools so significantly
predicate themselves on the idea of English within the school
that they simplistically employ people that can use the language
but have absolutely no educational management skills or
experience.

One school claiming national plus status was reported to me as
employing a man as its "Headmaster" simply on the basis that he
could speak English. He had previously been employed in one of
Jakarta's many private English schools -- and, it seems, one of
the less reputable ones to boot.

It is abundantly clear to anyone that takes the time to look
that there are some very good schools that genuinely can offer a
number of "pluses" beyond what national schools generally are
able to offer and this includes bilingual programs. These schools
can truly be called national plus. But, in the current context,
it would be wrong for us to uncritically accept the title
"national plus" as a guarantor of either bilingual schooling or,
for that matter, quality educational management and systems.

It is increasingly clear that there are too many schools being
allowed to open up with the claim of being national plus. Too
many of these schools lack the educational credibility and the
human resources and knowledge to provide bilingual education.

Prospective and even current "national plus" schools need to
be carefully vetted and certified and those national plus schools
that really can offer a plus to parents and their children should
be increasingly concerned by the way in which their title is
being hijacked and their good name is being damaged.

The writer is an education consultant. He can be reached at
pietervdv48@hotmail.com.