Japanese language experts help high school teachers

Japanese language experts help high school teachers

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A young Japanese woman, Morimoto Yukako, checked the pile of
papers she was carrying in her right hand to make sure she had
her notes before entering a language program classroom at
Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) 4 Islamic state high school in South
Jakarta.

Morimoto, who has been teaching Japanese at the school since
July last year, believes teachers who prepare well for class will
be able to hold students' attention.

"Some Indonesian teachers don't prepare anything before they
teach. That's one of their weaknesses. And that's why I'm here,
to give suggestions to the school's Japanese language teachers on
how to improve their teaching methods," she told The Jakarta Post
on Wednesday.

Morimoto is one of six native speakers employed by the Japan
Foundation, under the program called Junior Japanese Language
Experts, to improve the quality of Indonesian Japanese language
teachers in high schools across the country for one academic
year.

She also helps other Japanese language teachers across Greater
Jakarta by attending study groups that meet once a month at the
foundation's office.

"I like helping the teachers here because they're eager to
learn new things from me. The problem is, their Japanese language
skills vary in that some are good and some are not that good."

The Japan Foundation devised the program 10 years ago in
response to the high interest around the globe in learning
Japanese.

According to a 2003 Japan Foundation survey on Japanese
language education institutions outside Japan, Indonesia ranked
sixth among countries around the world whose citizens have a high
interest in learning the language.

"Indonesia is number one in Southeast Asia. Based on the
results of our survey, 85,221 Indonesians were studying
Japanese," said Osaka Koji, the deputy director of the
foundation.

Osaka said that 61,723 of those studying were primary and
secondary school students.

"That's why every year we employ six Japanese language experts
to help teachers here. Demand from Indonesian schools is actually
higher, but due to budget constraints we can't employ more," he
said.

The chief program officer for the Japanese language section at
the foundation, Apin Supinah, said the program was meant to
develop mentor teachers who could help other teachers in the
country improve their teaching methods after the native-speaker
teachers leave.

"We aim to implement a kind of multilevel guidance system, in
which a teacher, helped by one of our experts, one day can help
fellow teachers," Apin said.

Morimoto's presence at MAN 4 has been praised by the school's
teachers for not only showing them new methods, but also in
giving an example in discipline.

"Besides holding students' attention, she also influences the
teachers here to come to class on time, like she always does," an
Indonesian Japanese language teacher, Nia, said. (006)