Kudus holds student and teacher exchange to bridge state-private school gap

The Kudus district government in Central Java has relaunched a student and teacher exchange programme between state and private primary and secondary schools, in an effort to improve education quality and reduce the quality gap between schools. Kudus Regent Sam’ani Intakoris stated that through this programme, students and teachers will gain new experiences not available at their original schools. During the programme, participants will undergo the full teaching and learning process at the destination school and interact with the school community through various collaborative activities. They will also experience learning in a different environment and observe the education ecosystem at the destination school. According to the regent, this programme is part of the region’s effort to narrow the quality gap between favoured and non-favoured schools. An evaluation of the participants’ development and school conditions will later serve as a basis for formulating education quality improvement policies. The goal is to make the quality gap between schools smaller, so the differences are not too striking. This year’s programme runs for two weeks, from 27 July to 8 August 2026, involving 290 students from 53 state and private primary and secondary schools. A total of 210 students come from 33 state and private junior high schools, while 80 students are from 20 state and private primary schools. Additionally, 62 teachers from 31 state and private junior high schools are participating in the teaching exchange. The regent explained that this year’s programme has seen several improvements compared to the previous year. Besides the extended duration from one week to two weeks, the programme now includes teachers for the first time. He also encouraged all participants, teachers, and school principals to keep a diary during the programme as part of the evaluation. These records are expected to help identify needs for improving school quality, including human resources, infrastructure, teaching methods, and the competency development of teachers and students. M. Kowiyul Amin, a student from SMP Duta Aswaja, expressed enthusiasm about joining the student exchange. Together with five classmates, he will attend lessons at SMP Negeri 3 Bae for two weeks. Nabila, a student from SD 1 Mlati Lor, shared similar sentiments as she prepared to join activities at SD 1 Wergu Wetan. She said she was happy to gain new experiences and make new friends. Support also came from parents. Siti Mukminah, a parent of a student at SD 4 Loram Wetan, said the programme provided valuable experiences for children. She added that she was ready to transport her child to and from the activities. At the school level, the headmaster of SMP Negeri 1 Kudus, Abdul Rochim, revealed that eight of his students were taking part in the exchange at SMP 1 Bae, while two teachers were assigned to teach at SMP 1 Kaliwungu as part of the teacher exchange programme.