On Montessori school

On Montessori school

Linawati Sidarto's article on the PSKD (the Djakarta Christian
School Association) Montessori School (Nov. 26, 1997) and Frank
Richardson's comment (Dec. 1, 1997) underlined some key problems
in contemporary Indonesian education. The most obvious one is the
rigidity of our system which is mostly based on the retention of
facts and the occasional regurgitation of these facts. Thus with
all its inherent problems, the Montessori approach is a relief to
students, teachers and parents alike. As Mr. Richardson rightly
pointed out, we will fall farther and farther behind if we do not
dare to break loose from the rigidity of the present system which
does not teach children to think independently and certainly does
not inspire them to explore the world on their own.

Mr. Richardson's warning that the Montessori approach is only
an approach to teaching and learning should be taken to heart.
Splendid approaches without solid content are also detrimental to
a child's development. Our school adheres to the Indonesian
curriculum but in a way which encourages children to explore on
their own, and it is this which sets our school apart from
traditional Indonesian schools.

Running a school is expensive. The provision of partial
tuition wavers, as is common in all 26 PSKD schools, cannot
change the fact that quality education is a rare and expensive
commodity. Moreover, education is inadequately financed in our
country.

Our Montessori school, like other quality schools, is
expensive to run but the high cost is not caused by the beautiful
building or by imported equipment. The PSKD has long constructed
its own buildings, made its own furniture and produced its own
equipment to cut costs. It is personnel that constitutes the
largest part of our operational costs. The remuneration of
qualified foreign teachers must always be competitive with
salaries in their home countries as well as in other like schools
in this country.

Even at this early stage, the presence of the Montessori
school is already felt throughout the PSKD system. It has become
our entry way for new ideas and our foreign teachers are
excellent resource persons who are not "stingy" with their
knowledge. It is obvious that our Indonesian teachers are
academically just as well qualified as our foreign ones. In
several cases they even surpass the level of academic knowledge
of their foreign colleagues. There is, however, no doubt that our
foreign teachers are much better at managing lively and
interesting classes whereas our local ones tend to lecture.

I am not quite sure how to respond to Mr. Bhaskaran's comment
about our school (Dc. 3, 1997). Mr. Bhaskaran stated that "...the
school in the article would probably just about qualify as a
preschool." Our school consists of a kindergarten i.e. a
preschool and a primary school following the Indonesian
curriculum and teaching it according to the Montessori approach.
Our Principal Ms. Genia Sonneville, an internationally certified
Montessori teacher, also runs a training course for would-be
Montessori teachers.

Mr. Bhaskaran further stated that "Egoism, intolerance and
caustic words have no place in the Montessori system." I could
not agree more with him. I would even say that they have no place
at all in any educational system but how his statement relates to
our school is a bit of a mystery. I am afraid that his points are
a rather too subtle for me.

TOENGGOEL P. SIAGIAN

Secretary of the Board

PSKD, Jakarta