City to have new int'l school

Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakartans are soon to have another option for their children's education, with the Singapore International School to open in North Jakarta in July.

A member of the school's board, Osman Aman, said on Saturday that a number of parents had already expressed interest in the school.

"Many people, particularly in North Jakarta, are interested in enrolling their children... There's a high demand," he told The Jakarta Post. "We chose Pantai Indah Kapuk because of its strategic location," he added, referring to the housing estate where the school is located.

The school is the second Singapore International School in Jakarta after the one situated in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta. There are also two Singapore Indonesian Schools in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, and Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.

The new school will provide five levels of basic education: A nursery, kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school and senior high school. The curriculum is based on the one in Singapore.

"However, we have molded it so that it fits into Indonesia's education system and applies to Indonesian students," Osman said.

With English as its first language of instruction, the school also includes Indonesian and Chinese in its curriculum.

"Each student is expected to master two languages, either English and Indonesian or English and Chinese. However, the Chinese is not compulsory," he said.

Apart from formal education, the school also has a sports program for students including soccer, golf and sailing.

As for the teachers, 95 percent are foreigners, including Singaporeans, Malaysians, Indians, Filipinos and Chinese. The remaining 5 percent are Indonesians.

Fees range from US$1,700 to $6,000 per year, depending on the level of education.

The four-story school building will accommodate 18 students per classroom for the nursery and kindergarten, and 24 for the elementary, junior high school and senior high school.