International schools find ways to help Indonesia's needy
International schools find ways to help Indonesia's needy
International schools in Indonesia may be hard hit by the
prevailing economic crisis and political uncertainties. But that
has not dampened their enthusiasm to help the less fortunate. If
anything, the sharp contrast between the "haves" of the
international schools and the "have-nots" of those outside the
schools have increased their eagerness to help even more.
"Since the start of the economic crisis, we have gone all-out
to help the needy," said A.P. Singh, Principal of the Gandhi
Memorial International School.
The school, whose students come from mainly middle-class
families, supports Bintang Pancasila, an organization aimed at
helping poor children. "We recently donated between 20 and 40
huge sacks of clothes and educational material to the
organization."
At the Jakarta International School (JIS), expatriate
teachers, parents and students have become more involved in fund-
raising activities since the school year started in August last
year.
"This year, we have increased our funding for Indonesian
organizations in need," said Dr. Niall C.W. Nelson, Headmaster of
the school.
"We also have a project that helps street kids by providing
housing and fees for them to go to local schools," he said. Under
the project -- called One More Chance -- the school has converted
a house into a shelter, and provides food, health care and
education for 18 street kids.
Meanwhile, the British International School (BIS) has raised
Rp 160 million for charity this year. The school marked its 25th
year last November, and as part of the celebrations, the Silver
Jubilee Charity Fund has been set up to support organizations
that help children. Among these are Yayasan Bhakti Luhur, an
orphanage for physically and mentally handicapped children, and
Yayasan Usaha Mulia, a rehabilitation center for undernourished
children below the age of 5.
In many instances, the local staff of international schools
are the first to receive help. "While we are maintaining already
existing charity programs, we have increased our charity to our
own staff," said Michael S. Dougherty, Headmaster of the North
Jakarta International School. The school has set up a sembako
(nine basic essentials) program to help the children of its 100
local staff.
"We also try to increase our students' awareness of how the
situation has affected the locals, and how important these
charities are now to the people they are helping," Dougherty
added.
He said that it was not enough for the students to come up
with money. "We want our students to take the clothes and other
materials to the orphans so that they can meet, get to know and
maybe practice their Bahasa Indonesia with them."
Indeed, what many of these projects seem to aim for is to
allow students to gain a real understanding of the plight of
other children their age. For example, when students at JIS
visited village schools, they not only gave donations to the
schools but also became exchange students for the day. High
school students have also invited children from shelters to visit
the JIS campus.
The aim for students to appreciate their host country is, in
fact, part of the "international" aspect of international
schools. The Bandung International School, for instance, strongly
encourages cross-cultural communication and empathy for people of
different cultures.
Students who have returned from abroad due to the
unaffordability of overseas education may soon be able to find
cheaper alternatives here.
"Since the depreciation of the rupiah, many parents, who have
brought their children back from abroad, have requested that we
start an undergraduate program," said Singh. As a result, his
school is setting up the Gandhi Institution of Business and
Technology (G.I.B.T.) in September.
The institution, open to both local and international
students, is affiliated with several universities abroad:
Cambridge University, London University and North University
Consortium, which comprises 12 universities in the United
Kingdom. This will allow students to do part, or all, of their
course in Indonesia, making it an affordable alternative to
studying abroad.
"Parents would pay a fraction of what it would cost if they
were to send their kids to America, Britain or Australia," Singh
said.
Apart from turning their resources to helping the plight of
the locals, most schools admit there is little else they can do
while they wait for a better day.
International schools were enjoying a steady growth before the
country plunged into recession. Indonesia's fast-growing economy
then had attracted many foreign investors, creating high demands
for international schools. The devaluation of the rupiah, riots
in May last year and continued unrests around Jakarta, however,
have sent scores of expatriates scurrying for safer havens.
"We reached our peak just prior to May," said Singh, whose
school has lost some 40 percent of students. He expects to lose
another 10 percent before the worst is over.
And in the meantime, schools are adapting to the situation.
Some have been forced to pay their teachers partly in rupiah,
since a large part of international schools' expenses come from
the salaries and benefits paid to expatriate teachers.
Others are simply downsizing. "We have reduced our faculty
size as a result of downsizing from two sections of grades to
one," Dougherty said, adding that the school has also reduced
their annual capital charge.
In most cases, school fees remain unchanged. Some schools,
however, have increased their funding to help parents with
financial hardship. "We provide tuition relief for those who can
demonstrate their need for it," said Nelson. "Usually these are
parents working for smaller Indonesian companies or
entrepreneurial companies that have been badly hit by the
economic crisis."
On the whole, international schools are optimistic about the
future. "We expect our enrollment next year to be similar to the
period before last May," said Nelson confidently.
Others are hopeful that the general election will run smoothly
and effective. "We are poised to grow again, when the political
situation is resolved," said John H. Birchall, Principal of the
British International School.