Learning local culture in different approaches
I. Christianto, Contributor, Jakarta
The number of International Schools as well as the so-called national-plus private schools in Indonesia has increased significantly in recent years. Both schools aim to offer international curricula and use English as the medium of instruction, targeting expatriates and those seeking good quality in education.
English being the official language of instruction and the international curricula applied in most international and national-plus schools are among the reasons of those sending their children to such educational institutions. The schools, especially the national-plus schools, which are categorized as private domestic institutions, also provide some lessons and extracurricular activities related to Indonesian culture.
Wesley International School, which is located in Malang, East Java, for example, teaches Bahasa Indonesia to grades one through eight.
"We also teach a class called 'Indonesian Appreciation' to all of our students in grades one and two. Our students often go on field trips to places of great value in Indonesian culture in our region," says Paul Richardson, principal of Wesley International School.
He adds that his school is also partnered with Indonesian schools and runs exchange programs involving plays and musical performances, always with the intention of mixing the international children with the Indonesian children. "We have a strong drama program, and we have performed our plays in Indonesian schools all over Malang," he says, adding that Wesley also sponsors a city wide youth soccer league known as "Liga Charis".
The school has several immensely talented Indonesian teachers and the Bahasa Indonesia teachers are highly qualified, while the Indonesian art and drama teacher is respected by all of the students, he says.
"This brings to mind another strong value we have at Wesley. We emphasize that our Indonesian staff members, whether office staff, gardeners, janitors or guards, are treated with respect and dignity by all of our students," he says.
The Semarang International School also teaches its students Bahasa Indonesia and Indonesian Culture.
School principal Janine van Noort says it is important for the children to be aware of and appreciate the culture of the country in which they live.
"We have qualified Indonesian teachers to teach Bahasa Indonesia/Culture. The students enjoy the subject very much," she says, adding that her school, which was established in 1982, applies the British curriculum and uses Australian resources.
Richardson says that at Wesley it is important that the students know the names of all the Indonesian staff, and that they are greeted with "Selamat Pagi..." and so on.
"We value this beautiful country and the priceless experience of living and working in Indonesia. The students have an incredible opportunity to learn the Indonesian culture and ways of life so that for the rest of their lives, wherever they live, they will value different cultures and carry with them the skills of appreciating cultures and relating to people of diversity," he says.
"We want to protect our students from growing up with the belief that they are somehow better or more valuable than children from poor backgrounds. Therefore, we want to expose them to the beautiful facets of Indonesian society."
According to Richardson, students will generally drift in the direction enthusiastically presented to them by their teachers and other people of influence.
"For example, one of our wonderful teachers, Shelley Matthews, initiated a weekend event where the teenagers would raise money for poor children in Indonesia by finding sponsors and going without food themselves for 30 hours. Do you think a bunch of wealthy international teenagers would do such a thing?
About forty students did it and they did it with great enthusiasm, raising almost Rp 15 million to be given to World Vision for hungry children."
Wesley International School, established in Malang in 1972, is a K-12 school and has some 100 students with sixteen classrooms. It provides an American-based curriculum with some adaptations. The school has served students from Australia, the USA, New Zealand, Canada, Taiwan, South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, England, and India.
Richardson says Wesley, whose current tuition fee is US$5,000 per year, had recently experienced a growth spurt as an increasing number of international businessmen were moving their families and workplaces from Jakarta to Malang, which is widely regarded as one of the cleanest and safest cities in Indonesia.
The Singapore International School, which is located in South Jakarta, also has some Indonesian programs. It offers Bahasa Indonesia and several extracurricular activities related to Indonesian culture.
"We have a Bahasa Indonesia class and study tours to teach Indonesian culture to the students," says Alan Wolff, a member of the school.
He says the emphasis on music and drama has given pupils at the Singapore International School the opportunity to express their creativity. The annual production of musicals has developed a love for music and the performing arts among all the students. This activity includes learning Indonesian songs, he says.
Meanwhile, Sekolah Tiara Bangsa offers several subjects, including Indonesian dance and Indonesian crafts, as extracurricular activities.
Extracurricular activities are offered twice a week after school for the whole year. As the school year is divided into two semesters, students can take four different types of extracurricular activities.
In the first semester, students can select various subjects, including Indonesian dance and Indonesian crafts, Daryl Forde of Tiara Bangsa says.
"In the second semester, all students are involved in preparing for a musical production including actors, singers, stage crew, lighting, costumes and make-up.
In the fourth quarter, all students learn a range of dances, including Indonesian dances, for a school performance. As we are also an Indonesian national-plus school, we celebrate our national heritage through the study of Indonesian language, which is compulsory, and religion," he adds.
Tiara Bangsa, which is located in Cibubur, West Java, also commemorates special Indonesian events, he says, adding that students include Indonesians, Koreans, Americans, Indians, Australians, British, Singaporeans, Swedish, Danish, and Filipinos.
"Special days are set aside to celebrate Indonesian cultural and historical events; Kartini Day, Idul Fitri, etc. Our International Baccalaureate curriculum gives us the unique opportunity to use Indonesian culture, history and geography as the basis for stimulating our students. The student and parent response is very favorable to both the curricular and extracurricular programs," Forde says.
In particular, parents are very pleased that the school could take all middle school students on a three day excursion to Bandung, West Java, to see local industry and agriculture, study volcanology, visit tea and rubber plantations, and witness dance and cultural performances, he adds.
"Internationalism does not mean that we neglect our culture, nor reduce it to an insignificant part of our school life. In fact, by learning interactively and through the discovery method, our students come to realize that their own culture and other cultures have more similarities than differences," Forde says.
At Sekolah Global Jaya, a national-plus school in Bintaro, South Jakarta, students also have some subjects that are related to Indonesian culture.
Kenneth Cock of Sekolah Global Jaya says his school offers quality teaching, a commitment to learning in both English and Bahasa Indonesia, a nonsecular environment where all religious beliefs are respected and catered for, expatriate staff who provide support for local staff, and students being placed at the center of the learning, rather than the curriculum.
"Sekolah Global Jaya was set up to deliver a western-style education to young Indonesians. Once the students have completed their studies at our school they will have the necessary thinking skills, research and problem-solving skills to enter any university of their choice whether here or overseas. Thus the development of the use of the English language is an important part of our curriculum. Our goal is that every student will be able to study in both Bahasa Indonesia and English. Thus, we deliver the curriculum material in both languages."