Japanese school reaches out to local people
Japanese school reaches out to local people
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Strolling into the Jakarta Japanese School (JJS) complex in
Bintaro Jaya, Tangerang, one immediately feels welcome thanks to
its friendly atmosphere.
While the security arrangements are tight, as is typical of
most international schools in the capital, the security guards
treat guests with respect, while dutifully checking the identity
of each one.
"Please take off your shoes and put on the slippers there," an
Indonesian female guard told The Jakarta Post
in the school lobby.
She said every guest is required to take off their shoes
before walking into the building. The regulation, however, does
not apply to students and teachers.
JJS, the only Japanese school in the capital, moved to its
current location in 1996 after moving from Tebet to Pasar Minggu
and then to Cilandak, all in South Jakarta.
The JJS currently has 638 elementary school students and 222
junior high school students.
Its kindergarten is still located in Cilandak, with 176
students.
JJS principal Naoru Kiryu said all students in the school were
Japanese or half Japanese. Needless to say that its medium of
instruction is Japanese.
"We don't have any non Japanese-speaking students. Some have
an Indonesian mother or father who is married to a Japanese,"
Kiryu told the Post.
He said that most Japanese diplomats posted in Jakarta and
businesspeople staying for a long time in the city send their
children to the school.
Kiryu added that most students studying in the school moved to
Indonesia after studying for some time in Japan.
"So, they just continue their lessons here. We must provide
lessons as a continuation of what they have learned in Japan," he
said.
The school, established in 1969, employs a total of 44
Japanese teachers, five Indonesian teachers and five Western
teachers.
"Beside English, we teach Indonesian language so that they can
communicate with their Indonesian friends. In fact, we often
invite local schools for matches, including basketball and
soccer," the school's director for community relations Hiroshi
Saito told the Post.
Besides science and computer laboratory rooms, the school also
has one big soccer field, surrounded by a 400-meter track, two
big gymnasiums, and two swimming pools, one each for elementary
and junior high students.
JJS also has a special program for the students to familiarize
themselves with the local culture and customs by holding events
involving local schools and residents.
"Periodically, we train them to plant rice in rice fields in
several villages around Jakarta. They can communicate directly
with farmers there," Saito said.
Every year during Idul Fitri, the school also holds charity
programs to help residents from surrounding areas, he said.
The school also employs around 50 nearby local residents as
janitors and security guards and hires over a dozen buses from a
local bus company to pick up students from their homes and drop
them home again after school.
"We have no problem in dealing with residents from surrounding
areas as the school, its staff and students can mix harmoniously
with them," a senior security guard, who asked not to be named,
told the Post.