City to have new int'l school

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.