'National Plus' schools require close monitoring

Debbie A. Lubis, Contributor, Jakarta

The mushrooming of "National Plus" schools in big cities has demonstrated an increasing awareness of the importance of quality education.

However, the government should also monitor such quality education, an expert said.

Sutjipto, the Rector of Jakarta National University -- formerly Teacher's Training College (IKIP) -- said the emergence of world-class schools can be regarded not merely as a sign of improvement in educational system but also as a sign of the inability of the local scholastic system to keep up with an ever changing world.

"National-plus schools have curriculums that are no longer just national in nature, but are based on international standards. That represents progress," he said.

Sutjipto, however, warned that not all schools that claim to use an international curriculum can provide the quality of education they promise.

"There should be clear standard for such international or National Plus schools," he added. Sutjipto is also sees the need for sanctions and penalties for those schools that fail to meet required standards.

Both international and National Plus schools use English as the language of instruction. Some international schools only accept students of a particular nationality, while others are open to certain percentage of local students, allowing for a multicultural learning environment.

Many international schools, like the Australian International School (AIS), the Singapore International School (SIS) and the New Zealand International School (NZIS), take their curriculum from their respective national curriculums.

However, a majority of international schools including the Jakarta International School (JIS), the British International School (BIS), and the Gandhi Memorial International School (GMIS) and National Plus schools such as Sekolah Tiara Bangsa and Sekolah Pelita Harapan, adopt curriculum set by the Geneva-based International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization.

The British International School (BIS) follows the British National Curriculum for levels pre-school to GCSE (years 10 and 11). The IB program is offered for years 12 and 13.

The IB programs are comprised of a Primary Years Program (PYP) for students aged 3 to 12 years; a Middle Years Program (MYP) for those aged 13 to 16; and an I.B. Diploma for students 17 to 18 years old.

Unlike international schools, National Plus schools should be accredited by the Ministry of Education and fulfill its curricula and policy requirements.

Capri Anjaya, an executive of the Association of National-Plus Schools, said that up to now, the government was still in the process of developing rules and characteristics for National Plus Schools.

"As far as I know, the procedures for establishing a National Plus school are the same as those to establish a private national school in Indonesia. Some schools that are just starting up may not even tell the government that they are going to be the National Plus type," said Capri, who is also the coordinating Indonesian principal of Sekolah Tiara Bangsa.

She said that many private Indonesian schools call themselves National-Plus schools. Since there is no policy from the government as yet regarding National Plus schools, the association tries to set clear requirements and develop criteria for accreditation.

"Of the 40 National-Plus schools registered with the National Plus Schools Association, not all of them meet the criteria," Capri added

The Association of National Plus Schools (ANPS) has formulated a set of characteristics for National Plus schools. First of all, there should be clear policies and procedures in the teaching and learning process. A National Plus school, for example, should respect Indonesian cultural values, diversity and the natural environment. Bahasa Indonesia, Religion and Civics must, therefore, be taught.

Students should be able to communicate in Indonesian and English (especially in core subjects like English, Mathematics and Science). The school must have a commitment to professional development and must develop and use national and international learning outcomes.

Meanwhile, educational programs, teaching methodologies and a range of assessment practices should support student-centered learning. Lastly, there should be a range of resources and facilities.

Each of the characteristics is elaborated with some mandatory and developing indicators that determine categories of school accreditation set by ANPS.

According to Capri, the National Plus school can be classified into A, B, C and P categories.

Category A is awarded to National Plus schools that meet all the mandatory and developing indicators while category B is for schools meeting all of the mandatory and 50 percent of developing indicators.

Schools that meet all mandatory indicators but less than 50 percent of developing indicators belong to Category C, while schools that provide documentary evidence that they are working towards meeting all of the mandatory indicators belong to Category P ("Provisional" accreditation).

Meanwhile, Sutjipto said that the high tuition fees charged by international or National Plus schools are proportionate to the quality of services and facilities they provide.

Most National Plus schools are well equipped with libraries, laboratories, internet, music rooms, drama rooms as well as art and sport facilities.

"And most importantly, teachers are properly paid and well- developed so that they can concentrate on educating children. Here in Indonesia, we may make changes in curriculum but it cannot be implemented if other supporting factors are not running well, especially teachers' welfare."

"At Sekolah Pelita Harapan, students are challenged and equipped to use their abilities to assist the development of this country," said Brian Cox, an academic counselor at Sekolah Pelita Harapan.

He said that students of a National Plus school are taught by teachers from around the world and from Indonesia. "They also receive an international education as well as a good understanding and appreciation of Indonesian culture."

Sekolah Pelita Harapan is an Early Childhood through grade 12 National Plus School founded in 1992. Its curriculum is based on the IB programs that prepare students for post-secondary education within Indonesia and overseas.

Sutjipto expressed the hope that world-class schools would cooperate with local schools so that their students would be stimulated to gain wider horizon and have higher motivation.

"Reading is not part of the culture in many small schools, especially those in rural areas. I hope those schools can help teachers encourage the students to develop such a culture."

Sekolah Tiara Bangsa is a National Plus and IB school that has given assistance to local schools through its community service programs. The school director, Daryl Forde, said that the school often invited teachers from local schools to attend its educational seminars, and also invited local students to see Tiara Bangsa art performances.

The Parents' Association has also established bilingual pictorial books to be distributed to local schools.