Int'l schools battle on amid dwindling enrollments

Int'l schools battle on amid dwindling enrollments

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): The girl's little fingers tap and squeeze a
portion of play dough from a large chunk prepared by her teacher.

A few minutes later she laughs cheerfully, showing off her
work to her teacher and a classmate. The teacher caresses her
blonde hair, smiles and murmurs soft words, praising her work.

It's hardly noticeable that little Sarah is a child with
special needs -- she has Down's syndrome, a genetic disorder, and
is among the lucky few who get extra attention and can go to
school with those categorized as normal.

"Students with special needs can do anything just like the
others," said Penny Robertson, principal of the Australian
International School in Jati Murni, Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta.

The school started operation 18 months ago and was officiated
last February by then minister of education and culture Wardiman
Djojonegoro.

According to latest figures there are 43 international schools
across the country, spurred by the need created by the many
expatriate families living here.

The Australian International School is among the new ones,
while the first in the city was the Deutsche International
Schle. The latter was set up in Bandung, West Java, in 1957, and
moved to the capital 10 years later.

Integration of children with learning problems is one
interesting feature at the Australian International School.

Fees here range from US$5,050 for preschool students to $8,900
for junior high school students, or ninth year students in the
Australian education system.

Out of the school's 200 students Sarah is one of 17 students
with special needs.

"Here, we encourage learning by collaboration and cooperation
by mixing students of different learning abilities in one class,"
Robertson said. The method, she said, is practiced in Australia
and has proved successful in increasing the average achievement
in one class.

Robertson said other students were "tremendously accepting...
They learn how to share and take care of others (with
disabilities)," she said.

The school mostly employs Australian teachers, but others are
from New Zealand, Canada and Britain, and 15 Indonesians.

Australian text books are used and special teachers are
assigned to help students whose first language is not English
before they join regular classes.

Parents

Children at international schools, such as at the German
international school, seem to enjoy high parent involvement
compared to local schools, where low parent participation is a
common complaint among teachers.

At the Deutsche Internationale Schle, parents are quite
active through various associations.

"In extracurricular activities, parents offer courses and help
in preparing theater performances, sometimes donating to help out
particular projects by classes," said the school's principal,
Wolfgang Hinners.

The Deutsche school offers education from kindergarten to
senior high level. Most of the 320 students are German, while
others come from Austria, Switzerland, the United States and the
Netherlands.

Indonesian is also taught at the school along with the
country's culture and art through a special program that
concentrates on Indonesian geography, culture and regional
differences.

The students also learn about local values and make discovery
trips around Jakarta. They engage in projects to get to know more
about the country's fauna and flora.

The school for kindergarten and preschoolers is on Jl.
Prapanca, South Jakarta, while older students go to school on Jl.
Dr. Sam Ratulangie in Menteng. Following the steps of the British
and Japanese schools, Deutsche Internationale Schle has also
plans a move to the outskirts, to the less crowded Bumi Serpong
Damai area later this year.

In North Jakarta, the North Jakarta International School now
has 350 students. It opened in August 1990.

It has gained full accreditation from the European Council of
International Schools and adopts a U.S.-based international
school curricula. Parents here are also deeply involved in the
school's activities.

"Many parents spend a great deal of time on campus, helping in
the library, on field trips and in other capacities," said the
school's principal Michael S. Dougherty.

In addition, parents are involved in periodic meetings with
teachers regarding their children's progress and how they can
help their children work at home, he said.

Teachers here come from Australia, Canada, Europe, New
Zealand, South Africa and the United States.

The school's students, from preschool through ninth grade,
come from more than 30 countries. These include Australia,
Canada, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, the United States
and the United Kingdom, while the medium of instruction is
English.

Even though international schools only enroll children of
foreigners residing temporarily in Indonesia, teachers say
students tend to adjust to life here quickly. They also express
concern about what is happening in their host country.

"We're going to discuss forest fires next week," said a
student in year six at the Australian International School.

His class just finished discussing space and stars. Pictures
and drawing of stars, astronauts and spaceships still fill the
classroom's white board. And some slogans: "Reach for the Stars,"
"Space-Extending Our Boundaries," "Aliens: Fact or Fiction" were
all over the walls.

Crisis

The dramatic fall of the country's economy has forced many
companies to cut their dollar-based costs, leading to many
expatriates finding themselves out of a job.

Without much preparation, some expatriates suddenly found
themselves heading back home along with their children, who had
just settled into elementary school here.

Students at the North Jakarta International School had to bid
farewell to friends who had to leave the country recently.

"About 30 of the school's current enrollment of 350 have left
the country. A possibly significant reduction in enrollment is
projected for the new school year which starts in August," said
Dougherty.

The Australian International School has also lost some of its
students due to the crisis.

"We lost 20 students and 20 more who were supposed to come
here but canceled because of the crisis. So, we lost about 40 on
projected numbers," said Robertson, whose students come from 38
different countries.

Students were very sad to leave Indonesia, she added.

"And it's very sad for the students to watch their friends
suddenly have to pack up and go immediately," Robertson said.

For their friends still in the country, the crisis has also
become a hot subject.

"Like everyone, they (students) are very concerned about the
current economic crisis and how it is affecting the whole
country," Robertson said.