~FOR FOCUS ISSUE -- August 21

~FOR FOCUS ISSUE -- August 21

;JP;
ANPAc..r..
Preschools-growth-rapid

Number of preschools constantly increasing

Sudibyo M. Wiradji
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The number of preschools in Indonesia has grown rapidly over
the last several years as more and more parents become aware of
the importance of early childhood education for their children.

But, in fact, the provision of informal education programs for
children at an early age started a long time ago. Such informal
educational activities are commonly conducted in mosques,
musholla (prayer houses), churches and private homes.

Children are frequently seen visiting mosques or musholla in
cities, kampongs and villages in many parts of the country in the
afternoon.

While cheerfully playing, the children do not only learn
Islamic teaching in a simple and entertaining way, but also learn
to read and write.

"The children attending informal classes in mosques or
musholla are aged between four and six. The learning activities allow
them to socialize and interact with each other and, thus, it
allows them to develop their emotions," said Asni Jafar,
deputy head of the Aisyiah Kindergarten's educational division.

Similarly, many Christian parents also send their children to
a church or private house on Sundays to learn Christian
teachings. "Learning activities in mosques and churches help
children prepare themselves before entering elementary school,"
said Asni.

While the tradition of providing informal educational classes
continues, more formal preschools have been established in many
parts of the country due the rising demand for formal educational
programs from parents.

Data from the Ministry of Education shows that this year, over
47,000 registered kindergartens are now operating in the country,
many of which are run by private organizations. This figure does
not include playgroups and unregistered kindergartens.

Many preschools are established and run by religious
organizations, institutions and foundations, and many others by
individuals or foundations that have no connection with organized
religion.

Aisyiah Bustanul Athfal, Al Hidayah, Al-Azhar, Kartika,
Tarakanita, Mutiara and Penabur Benih -- to name but a few --
are established kindergartens that apply the Indonesian
curriculum and have opened many branches across the country.

Aisyiah Bustanul Athfal (ABA) kindergarten, one of the long
established ones, was founded by Aisyiah, a women's branch of
Muhammadyah, in Yogjakarta in 1919.

ABA kindergartens can be found in almost every province in the
country thanks to the organization's policy that obliges every
branch office of Aisyiah to set up a kindergarten. To date, the
ABA kindergarten organization has over 5,300 kindergartens spread
throughout the country.

The ABA kindergartens emphasize the importance of implanting
Islamic teachings in children at an early age. "Concretely,
children are taught how to perform the basic components of shalat
(five obligatory daily prayers), and how to conduct wudhu (ritual
ablutions before prayers)," said Asni Jafar, deputy head of
Aisyiah's educational division.

The growing awareness among parents about the need to cultivate
Islamic teachings in children at an early age has also
contributed to the popularity of Aisyiah playgroups and
kindergartens.

Apart from implanting Islamic teachings, the schools also
provide lessons based on the national curriculum set by the
Ministry of Education.

"The curriculum is designed based on what children need. In
addition to their physiques, children at an early age need to
develop their intellects, language skills, social skills,
emotions and other psychological aspects," she said.

The ABA kindergartens are not only targeted at the lower and
middle-income brackets, but also at the upper-income brackets.
Enrollment fees vary, depending on location.

Enrollment fees in certain areas like Kebayoran Baru are set
at between Rp 3 million and Rp 4 million (about US$425), with
school fees of Rp 150,000 per month. The school fees in poor
areas like Taman Sari, Kota, Central Jakarta, are set at between
Rp 300,000 and Rp 500,000.

Children from poor families are exempted from paying school
fees provided that their parents submit a letter explaining their
economic circumstances, she said.

Like Aisyiah, Al-Azhar Kindergartens emphasize the importance
of inculcating Islamic teachings in children at an early age. A
kindergarten using the name Al Azhar was first founded by the
Yayasan Pesantren Islam Al-Azhar at the Al-Azhar Mosque in South
Jakarta in 1968.

"The Al-Azhar kindergarten organization started to grow in the
1980s. At least 30 Al-Azhar kindergartens are now operating in
many different areas of Indonesia," said a staffer at the Yayasan
Pesantren Islam Al-Azhar.

Besides Jakarta, Al-Azhar kindergartens can also be found in
other provinces, such as West Java, East Java and West
Kalimantan.

Al-Azhar kindergartens, which are known for offering modern
facilities, have enrollment fees of between Rp 9 million and Rp
10 million.

The Al-Azhar kindergarten in Jakarta and its branches are
managed by the Yayasan Pesantren Islam Al-Azhar. There are,
however, other kindergartens that use the name Al-Azhar that are
managed jointly with other foundations as partners.

Despite the involvement of other parties in running its
schools, Al-Azhar Central Office is fully in charge of the
educational aspects, such as the provision of teachers and
curricula.

"The other parties involved usually provide the sites for the
schools and support facilities, such as chairs, tables
whiteboards and children's playground equipment," he said.

Many other preschools have been founded by individuals that
have an interest in the development of children. Among them are
the preschools founded by Seto Mulyadi, an educator, scientist
and psychologist, who is familiarly known as Kak Seto.

Kak Seto's preschools are operated under the umbrella of the
Mutiara Foundation and the Mentari Foundation.

Children at Kak Seto's preschools do not only play while
learning, but also get to learn about some initial aspects of
Indonesian culture at an early age.

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

The games are designed not only to stimulate children's
creativity but also make them emotionally and spiritually better,
according to Kak Seto.

The preschools operating under the umbrella of the Mutiara
Foundation and the Mentari Foundation date back to 1975 when Kak
Seto established a play group called Istana Anak-Anak (the
Children's Palace) in Taman Ria Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Currently, the two foundations run nearly 30 playgroups and
kindergartens, most of which are in Greater Jakarta and areas
outside of Jakarta, including Cirebon and Bandung in West Java,
East Kalimantan and South Sulawesi.

In addition to such national-based preschools, the number of
preschools offering international curricula is also increasing in
the country's major cities.