More superschools in the pipeline
JAKARTA (JP): Parents in the Greater Jakarta area are getting an increasingly wide range of choice for their children's education with more and more private "superschools" opening their gates to
Entrance fees range from Rp 2 million (US$849) to over Rp 20 million for kindergarten, and Rp 24 million to Rp 32 million for elementary and secondary schools.
The schools' registration kicked off in May and will continue until all places are filled, amid a flurry of marketing, with ad campaigns and promotional stalls in crowded malls.
The schools promise entirely different environments from the widely criticized conventional schools here. Frequently cited shortcomings of state schools include the stifling of creativity.
Apart from air-conditioning, computer literacy and proficiency in English, extra-curricular activities range from ballet classes, horse-riding, to speech and drama skills.
Hot on the heels of the Pelita Harapan Foundation in Karawaci, Tangerang, other new schools to open include Global Jaya in Pondok Aren, also Tangerang, and the Christian PSKD-Montessori elementary school in Menteng, Central Jakarta. The latter charges Rp 20 million in entrance fees and has just opened for business.
The principal of the PSKD school argued the attraction of such schools was not having to send children overseas for high quality education.
Pelita Harapan goes from the elementary to university level, and Global Jaya from elementary to junior school level.
Islamic kindergartens and secondary schools have been popular for many years here; these include the Al-Azhar Foundation, which has branched out from Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, to new elite residential sites such as Serpong, West Java.
Bahrudin Syahbana, a spokesman for the Foundation, said that the emphasis on religious teaching was Al Azhar's main attraction.
"Our curriculum doesn't really have anything special about it," he admitted.
Competition is also increasing in modern Islamic boarding schools based on the age-old pesantren concept.
The Paramadina Foundation has set up the Madania boarding school for secondary students in Parung, Bogor. Parents pay monthly school fees of Rp 200,000, monthly boarding fees of Rp 300,000 and another Rp 5 million for the construction of the school complex.
A language laboratory for Arabic and English, workshops and laboratories for basic science teaching and on-line computers installed in every dormitory room, are among the facilities on offer to parents anxious for the best in both secular and religious teaching.
The numerous Catholic foundations are expensive, but have cross-subsidy mechanisms to help children from less well-off families.
This has led to the practice of rich parents posing as poor people, removing all conspicuous signs of wealth for registration.
The new private schools have a limited number of scholarships for applicants with high marks.
This glut of new schools proves columnist Mochtar Buchori's observation that despite the controversy over "superschools," the demand is increasing.
The latest criticism came at a recent seminar. Noted educator Conny R. Semiawan said Saturday that the schools are yet to develop clear concepts, and that they were teaching students too much.
The schools themselves have improvised on the concept of the Ministry of Education and Culture, which list "superschools" among state secondary schools.
Subandio, the head of secondary education at the city office of the Ministry, said the Ministry has several criteria for such schools.
These are the quality of teachers, facilities, the potential for more facilities as indicated by the school's remaining land, and the quality of entrants.
Although acknowledging that the financial position of the schools made a difference, he pointed out that: "Schools with rich children are not automatically superschools," Subandio said.
"It also depends on the parents," he said. (anr/14)