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.