Quality schools becoming a growth industry in RI

Quality schools becoming a growth industry in RI

Rachel Davies, Sydney, Australia

The variety and options for parents considering their child's
or children's education are, pleasingly, increasing in Jakarta. A
variety of private schools are now placed alongside of the state-
run schools as potential sources of quality education.

Maybe it is true that state-run schools have not been looked
upon in a particularly favorable light but this is not entirely
fair as there are some very good state-run schools achieving fine
educational goals. However, the concerns over state-run schooling
have undoubtedly opened up the way for the private sector to
become involved.

It can be seen that the private sector has now become deeply
involved in education and schools; so much so now that it seems
that education is seen as a good business prospect and a growing
business sector. A significant portion of the private sector of
schools is schools characterized as "national plus" schools.
These schools typically market themselves as being able to offer
a superior alternative to the state-run schools. But this rather
loosely defined sector of national plus schools may have a
considerable variety.

Sometimes it does appear that the title of "national plus"
school is utilized as a marketing tool. Even though there may not
be a fully agreed upon definition of what exactly constitutes a
national plus school, the mere mention and idea of being a
national plus school is seen as beneficial.

That word "plus" suggests that a better educational
experience may be had at the school in question. Generally, this
would seem to be the case as many national plus schools do
provide a higher standard in education and overall the sector
that is national plus schools has been a positive development and
assistance to schools and schooling in Indonesia.

But like most things in life, national plus schools should not
merely be accepted on face value alone. Careful scrutiny is wise.
The title of "national plus" should not obscure or limit one's
ability to carefully consider what a school really has to offer
and whether or not it is the best and right choice for you.

To give an example, certain schools will market themselves on
the basis of the facilities that they have to offer. From quality
gymnasiums and outdoor facilities to suites of computers, and
languages laboratories some schools may be able to offer built
facilities of excellence; but facilities alone do not necessarily
make a school.

An essential ingredient for any school is its teaching staff
and here again many national plus schools show an admirable
degree of commitment. The training of teachers and requiring
teachers to be updating and developing their teaching material is
a quite common experience. Also, a commitment to curriculum
development and the utilization of new methods and media for
teaching reflect national plus schools' commitment to improving
their educational service.

There are, then, many facets that come together to cultivate a
"national plus" environment. Another significant, and at times
controversial, facet of national plus schooling is the concept of
parallel languages within a school. Some schools can go so far as
to highlight that they are bilingual in their provision of
education. For them English is placed firmly alongside Bahasa
Indonesian and in some cases even takes up the larger percentage
as the actual medium of instruction.

Other schools may not be able to claim such a high percentage
of English usage but it is a common and consistent characteristic
of national plus schools to claim to have both more English and
better English than other schools. But occasionally these kinds
of claims can be a cause for concern. Sometimes the desire to
promote the idea of English usage within a school borders on the
obsessive. This kind of obsession can leave doubts as to the
overall quality of the school.

For example, one new national plus school has promoted itself
almost entirely on the English language educational experiences
it proposes it is able to offer. With promotional material, such
as brochures and leaflets, written entirely in English, the focus
is clear.

All of what this promotional material discusses is what the
school aims to achieve in providing English language instruction.
Unusually there is no reference to the school's built facilities
or teaching staff or size of classes and so on.

In this kind of situation you could be forgiven for thinking
that what is being read about is not a formal, general school but
specifically a language school. This is something of a dichotomy
for a national plus school. The goal of bilingual education is
admirable but it has to be administered within the wider context
of providing a basic general education.

Similarly, national plus schools can face something of a
dichotomy when it comes to the curriculum that they follow. It is
an unavoidable reality that they are Indonesian schools and as
such they are providing an Indonesian education to Indonesian
students. However some national plus schools are also offering
imported curricula, such as the International Baccalaureate.
Where this kind of dual system is in operation the tasks and
challenges facing the school and indeed the students may be
multiplied.

However, no matter how potentially problematic the challenges
facing national plus schools may be, there can be little doubt
that they are an important and beneficial addition to the
provision of education within Indonesian. Evidently they are a
significant growth sector too. There are perhaps upwards of fifty
schools that would now claim "national plus" designation. But
this growth should not be allowed to be too rampant. Schools
should not merely be looked upon as business ventures. The
founding of a school is not merely about profit margins for its
owners. At the heart and soul of every good school should be the
founding principle of bringing about the development of people.
The development of new schools then becomes the development of so
much more within a nation.

The writer is education consultant.