Private schools must respect Indonesian system

Pieter Van Der Vienhart, Tilburg, Netherlands

Indonesian newspapers often feature articles, promotionals and advertorial materials touting the considerable number of private schools that are either now operational or opening up in Jakarta. Concerns have also been expressed about the strong promotional ideology put forward that will either encourage caution or sell the idea that these schools are the way forward, principally for those parents that can afford them.

Financial costs and the expense of these schools are naturally a central consideration, but we should also consider whether Indonesia, as a nation, can afford to allow these schools to continue to proliferate. If they are creating philosophically and psychologically negative sentiments toward the Indonesian national state-run schools, then that can pose real problems.

Often these private schools are being opened under the title of "national plus" schools, but it is quite disturbing that, as has been estimated, only around half of these schools really achieve anything that might be considered a "plus" in comparison to the regular state schools.

The allusion to state schools being in some way, (often ill defined or not defined at all), inferior to "national plus" schools; may be seen as representative of stimuli for negative philosophical and psychological attitudes toward the vast majority of schools in Indonesia. Some schools are quite open and even proud to claim that they do not follow the national curriculum. This in itself should be seen as offensive and unacceptable.

And this kind of attitude can have a fallout affect on students. Students may well get the idea that the Indonesian national curriculum and the standard state schools are inferior and so they, in essence, are being taught in an inferior system. They may also perceive that the expensive private schools are less Indonesian and thus "more than and better than Indonesia".

Schools that are committed to what is right and necessary for Indonesian students and for Indonesia are surely doing what is desirable, right and proper for Indonesia, but schools that are, either consciously or unconsciously, stimulating doubt and misgivings about the schooling system may have a commitment that is not exactly desirable.

Private schools should be committed to quality and the advancement of the educational process and system for Indonesian students and Indonesia. If private schools are simply "opting out" of the national system, then the suggestion is that they are really no longer "national" schools regardless of any titles, claims or notions of being "plus".

Many private schools clearly state they follow non-Indonesian curricula, but often highlight the fact that they do also offer the Indonesian language or "Indonesian Studies". This means that they are not really national schools at all but are in fact international schools. This, in turn, means that they are quite simply an entirely different educational organization and should therefore be treated differently.

Clearly then there is a need for control, regulation and appropriate monitoring of private schools in Indonesia. Although there are various associations that have been created to build affiliations and move toward some form of checks and balances, these associations are largely powerless and weak.

This leaves a massive amount of room for abuse and subsequent dissatisfaction for all parties involved in schools -- including students, parents and teachers. As one Indonesian teacher, perhaps rather cynically, often points out to me, "right now anyone with enough money can open a school in Indonesia, but mostly they do so just to make money."

Confusion and even deception can easily ensue when insufficient systems for monitoring, checking and accreditation are applied and this can hurt the whole education system in general and parents in particular.

The problems of "language of instruction" can often be at the forefront of parents' concerns. A number of parents have emphasized that they have chosen certain private schools expressly because they have been promoted to them as English- language schools with "native speaker teachers". But promotions and fulfilled promises can be two entirely different things.

These kinds of encounters are unfortunate and may happen in many countries and in many different schools. Schools always have to develop, as do their teaching staff, but without sufficient accreditation schemes and systems for monitoring and ensuring the maintenance of standards, these encounters will be too frequent and too damaging.

There are some excellent private schools that offer a high- quality education, but even these should be monitored, and such monitoring could also contribute to the development of "best practices" for other schools.

Currently the "market" for private schools can at times amount to something of a minefield that parents have to tread carefully and lightly through to avoid disasters for their children. Proper accreditation and monitoring can and will assist parents and assist Indonesia's development.

The writer is an education consultant. He can be reached at pietervdv48@hotmail.com.