On national plus schools
On national plus schools
While I generally read Simon Gower's frequent articles in The
Jakarta Post with mild interest, I was somewhat incredulous at
some of the comments made in his most recent article RI's schools
should target higher standards (the Post, Nov. 15).
For him to suggest that "national plus" schools operate within
their own social microcosm isolated from Indonesian education and
society is both ill-informed and totally at odds with reality of
national plus education.
The suggestion that students of national plus schools forego
their commitment to and respect for their own heritage as a
price to pay for an international education in ludicrous and
reflects a total lack of understanding on Gower's part of what it
means to be a national plus school. The inclusion of the
Indonesian curriculum is an essential element of our academic
program and the celebration of Indonesian historical, cultural
and ethnic diversity is an integral part of the school's
calendar.
Equally, the suggestion by Gower that national plus schools
are socially isolated and inward looking reflects a lack of
awareness of the understanding that is inherent in our students
that knowledge is not limited to classrooms and textbooks. Our
students are globally oriented in their acquisition of knowledge
and are encouraged to use local regional, national and
international sources at every opportunity.
Finally, Gower suggests that Indonesian graduates from
national plus schools with a foreign curriculum might be viewed
"with skepticism" when applying for international tertiary
entrance. The 270 graduates from Bina Nusantara who have entered
universities and colleges in 16 different countries, including
Indonesia, over the past four years without any difficulty would
suggest that he is wrong.
I would suggest that Gower takes himself from behind his
computer and visits a number of national plus schools in order to
determine for himself the exemplary practice that is seeking to
advance, not hinder, Indonesian education.
GREGORY C. MOWDAY
Senior Principal
Sekolah Bina Nusantara
Jakarta