Indonesians struggle to master English

Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

While English is taught at most elementary school, some parents try to give their children a head start by encouraging them to master the basics -- numbers, familiar objects and the like -- before enrolling them in international kindergartens.

For the majority of students though, learning English is a tough task, and one that they readily complain about.

"Er... I learned English, yes, but I don't feel confident. I feel weird every time I try to speak English," said Toto, a graduate of a private university in Jakarta.

Toto blamed his high school English teacher for failing to encourage him. He likened his teacher to a robot.

"He said the same sentences every time he entered the classroom," Toto recalled. "Open your textbook. Read the text. Good -- those were the words that came out of his mouth."

An English teaching expert said Toto's experience was quite common here.

"English classes in the country are considered rather boring, certainly they don't inspire a love of the language," said Arief Rachman at a seminar held by the Indonesian International Education Foundation (IIEF) recently.

IIEF organizes English tests for applicants for scholarships to study at overseas universities or attend fellowship programs abroad.

Arief, who was also executive chairman of UNESCO's Indonesian National Committee, said about 80 percent of English teachers here taught in an authoritarian way.

When it came to textbooks, Arief said, they were dry and lacked material that was relevant to daily life.

Participation is the best way in which to stimulate children who are studying English, Arief said.

"Maybe we should learn from kindergartens," he said. "The learning process should be made fun and interesting for students. More activities such as a role-play and games, and the use of computers, would surely make learning fun."

Students should aim to master reading, speaking, audio-lingual and written skills, according to Arief, who hosted an English program on television station TVRI in the 1980s.

"On average, Indonesian students' (English) reading ability is about 70 percent, listening 80 percent, speaking 5 to 10 percent and writing 3 percent," said Arief.

He said only about 40 percent of English teachers in the country could really communicate in English.

"Our English teachers may understand theory, but they do not know how to use the language," said Arief.

Separately, director of the IIEF Irid Agoes told The Jakarta Post that no trainer of high school English teachers she observed exceed the standard score of 500 in their Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

"If the trainers are of that standard, can you imagine the skill of the teachers they train," she said.

Irid said writing was not a habit among most Indonesians, including lecturers.

"Why? Because they are afraid of making mistakes," said Irid.

Cultural factors also prevent some Indonesians from speaking English.

"Some people think that speaking English is too Western," said Irid. "In fact, their fear (of being too Western) causes them to miss out on the opportunities that a good grasp of English would bring."