Students abroad urged to preserve RI identity

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas stressed yesterday the need for Indonesian schools abroad to preserve their students' Indonesian identity.

"What is vital are efforts to mold the children to ensure a sense of national awareness, not isolated from Indonesian culture and virtues," Alatas said yesterday as he received a visiting group of model teachers.

"This is so that when our children return to Indonesia they can quickly adjust both to their environment and the Indonesian educational system," Alatas explained.

To facilitate the education of children of Indonesians working abroad, particularly those assigned by the government in embassies, the Foreign Ministry has, since the 1960s, established Indonesian schools in various countries.

There are now 21 Indonesian schools with the status of a subsidized private school offering elementary to high school classes in such cities as Cairo, The Hague, Riyadh and Bangkok.

Of these, 16 are fully recognized by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

The headteachers of the recognized schools are appointed by the foreign minister on the advice of the ministry of education. Other teachers are appointed by the respective ambassadors.

There are now 264 teachers educating over 1,700 children in these schools, whose curriculum complies fully with the national one applied here.

Alatas admitted that the schools face many obstacles particularly in providing qualified teachers, since it is very expensive to provide teachers from Indonesia.

However he remarked that, with the dedication and hard work of the teachers, results have been encouraging.

"This is evident by the increasing number of graduates from Indonesian schools abroad who have succeeded in passing the State University entrance exams," Alatas asserted.

In countries where an Indonesian school is not available, the children are often required to attend study groups usually held once a week on the weekend.

These study groups provide classes which are geared specifically toward Indonesia such as Indonesian geography, history, Bahasa Indonesia and Pancasila ideology.

The aim is to ensure that (Indonesian) children in foreign schools abroad will have high sense of nationalism, Alatas said. (mds)