One more international school comes in Jakarta
One more international school comes in Jakarta
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Another multilingual school is set to open on Jl. Lodan, North
Jakarta, in July, giving more options to parents who are seeking
a comprehensive education for their children.
A partnership between the Australian International School and
the Bunda Mulia Foundation, the Bunda Mulia Australian
International School will be one among over 20 schools across the
capital that use a few languages, besides Indonesian, for lower
education levels, as languages of instruction.
An official from the Ministry of Education, Herwindo, who
attended the inauguration of the school on Saturday, expressed
hope that the presence of more international schools would lift
the quality of education in the country.
"Each province has at least one school with an international
standard of curriculum, the ministry is now working on a set of
rules to regulate cooperation between the international schools
and the government, including on the curriculum applied," he
remarked.
The ceremony was also attended by Australian Ambassador to
Indonesia David Ritchie.
Formerly Bunda Mulia School, the new school will provide five
levels of basic education: A nursery, pre-kindergarten,
kindergarten, elementary and junior high school.
In the near future, the school will also offer high school
education.
"I think this kind of school is great because it provides many
unique facilities that other school don't have. The school where
my son currently goes provides less physical activities," said
Susan, who is looking around for a suitable school for her seven-
year-old son, Leonardo.
Besides fun and educative facilities, such as an indoor sports
hall, dance studio, performing arts hall, art room, and book
store, the school also offers multicultural approaches to
learning.
According to Penny Robertson, the principal of the Australian
International School in Kemang, South Jakarta, the school will
emphasize not only the Australian culture and English, but also
the culture and languages of Indonesia and China.
Besides English, the school will also use Mandarin as a main
language of instruction.
Penny said that the school provides an adaptive environment,
which takes into consideration the diverse backgrounds and
experiences of the students.
"We accept students regardless of their backgrounds --
including religion, race or ethnicity. We also accept students
with special needs, such as learning difficulties or gifted
students, whom we will focus on individually," she said.
Graeme Robertson, the chairman of the Australian International
Schools Board said the school charged reasonable tuition fees.
"It also opens greater opportunities for Indonesian children to
study here. So, no need to spend five to six times more money to
get a similar education abroad," he said.
Fees range from Rp 900,000 (US$100) per month to Rp 4 million,
on top of the fixed Rp 10 million entrance fee, depending on the
level of education.(001)