Old Dutch schools rekindle the past

Old Dutch schools rekindle the past

By Ida Indawati Khouw

Unlike so many colonial buildings in Jakarta which have been
demolished over time, many schools built by the Dutch in the
early 1900s still exist. Local authorities have named five school
buildings for the list of protected historical sites in Jakarta.
This is the 30th story in a series of Jakarta's historical
protected buildings and sites published in the Saturday edition
of The Jakarta Post.

JAKARTA (JP): In the early days, Dutch schools in Jakarta were
once dubbed as the most prestigious in the country.

At that time, only children of ruling colonial masters and the
wealthy pribumi (local residents) were allowed to study at these
colonial schools.

If you have any doubts about this fact, just ask your
grandmother or grandfather. They might not only tell you about
how Indonesian children struggled for the opportunity to learn
there but may also continue to relive their memories by telling
you more about this historical period.

Four of the five buildings, most of which have faced several
renovations, are located in Central Jakarta.

They are the SMPN I junior high school in Cikini, STM I
technical high school on Jl. Budi Utomo in Sawah Besar area,
nearby SMUN I senior high school and SMKK Negeri Jakarta
vocational high school on Jl. Sutomo.

The other building is on Jl. Manggarai Utara I in South
Jakarta and is now the SDN 01 Manggarai Utara elementary school.

The five buildings, now all run by the state, were mostly
designed using Indische architecture with high ceiling and wide
windows to beat the tropical climate.

The 91-year-old Cikini school building was originally the
prominent Hollandsch Inlandsche School (HIS elementary school)
and also for students of the Meer Uitgebreide Lagere Onderwijs
(MULO junior high school).

Built in 1909, the building still has its original high roof
and extra wide windows in its classrooms. Those who once had the
privileged opportunity to attend lessons in these classrooms
would instantly be taken back in time to their childhood.

The same atmosphere also exists in the SMUN I building, which
used to be the Algemeene Middelbare School (AMS). It would have
been equal to a senior high school today.

Built in 1930, the construction of the building remains
solidly intact with its broad corridors. A courtyard in the
middle of the building is still used for sport activities as it
was in its former days.

Headquarters

At one time, the AMS building was once used as the
headquarters of the Indonesian Navy (BKR Laut Pusat), before
being occupied again by Dutch soldiers (NICA).

A few years after independence was granted in 1945, the
building was the state-owned SMUN I school, also known as SMUN I
Budi Utomo.

In 1977, a three-story building was built at the rear of the
main building to help accommodate the large number of students.

The school authorities received an award in 1993 for its
remarkable work in maintaining the original design of the
building.

Next door is the STM I technical school, which used to be the
Koningin Wilhelmina School. Here, however, some minor damage can
be found to the building.

SMKK Negeri Jakarta was constructed in 1932 and used to be the
Europeesch Lagere School (ELS), an elementary school for Dutch
children.

Another protected school building, SDN 01 Manggarai Utara in
South Jakarta, used to provide classes only for children of top
officials of the Dutch Staat Spoorwegen railway company since the
school was constructed in their housing complex.

Built in 1916, the building was originally called Marschalk
Land. The roof was built with another directly above, both at the
same degree of angle. The small space in between allowed a
continuous flow of air to ventilate the rooms below.

A small tower was constructed at the top of the roof.

Like SMUN I Budi Utomo, this school also got a similar award
from the government.

Education expert J. Drost said the Dutch colonials started to
introduce the formal schools here simply because they "needed
people to work at the colonial service".

Previously, the school system was initially in the form of
religious institutions, such as pesantren (Islamic boarding
schools) and those run by the Dutch Christian missionaries.

A historian from the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Lee
Kam Hing, wrote in his book Education and Politics in Indonesia
1945-1965 that the first major step in educational development
here was started in September 1848 "when the Dutch came to
realize that without some Western-type education, the Indonesian
nobility and village heads, upon whom the system of forced
cultivation or cultuurstelsel relied, could not be effective".

Another education expert, H.A.R. Tilaar, wrote in his book 50
Tahun Pembangunan Pendidikan Nasional 1945-1995 (50 Years of the
Development of the National Education 1945-1995) that the
discriminative education system was aimed at maintaining Dutch
rule here.

"That's why education at that time was so selective and was
provided only for elite indigenous people, while at the same time
limiting the majority of children from having broader or higher
education."

However, Tilaar said, the education had a boomerang effect on
the colonials as through the Dutch schools, intellectual
Indonesian nationalists were born.