Studying in mutli-cultural atmosphere

Debbie A. Lubis Contributor Jakarta

It was a bright afternoon when Indonesian children rushed out of their classrooms at an international school located in South Jakarta.

They cheerfully made jokes with some of their expatriate buddies, reflecting their good relationships despite their different cultural backgrounds. Studying in an international atmosphere, indeed, does not make them afraid of mingling with foreign kids.

Providing their children with the best possible education has become the number one priority of most parents.

Many schools have offered various programs to cater to such needs but not many can help students deal effectively with their emotions, establish good social relationships, learn to be independent, and acquire world-wide accredited knowledge and skills.

Many rich Indonesian parents have chosen to send their children to international schools since the Ministerial Decree issued on May 2, 2000 allowed international schools that met criteria established by the Ministry of National Education to accept Indonesian students.

Currently, there are many international schools in Jakarta that offer programs for Indonesians such as Gandhi National School, Jakarta International School (JIS), North Jakarta International School (NJIS), Singapore Indonesian School (SIS) and many more.

"I just want to give the best education for my children because it is the worthiest legacy that my husband and I can give," said Lolita, 35, a mother who sends her two sons to an international school.

In so doing, she believes that her children can have rewarding careers in the future. Lolita also said she expected her children could easily study abroad as their current school applied an international curriculum.

In general, the international schools offer classes ranging from nursery, kindergarten, and primary to secondary level. Most of them use an international curriculum with some adjustment for local content. The primary and secondary classes usually start at 7:30 a.m. and end at 2:50 p.m. Generally, the school academic year is divided into two semesters, with grades reported at quarterly intervals.

Typically, an international schools consist of air-conditioned classrooms that are designed in accordance with the students' learning stages and completed with facilities such as a library, computers and science labs, theater, gymnasium, playing fields for sports, dance studio, and special rooms for art and music. They also have an abundance of extra curricular activities.

"Studying in an international school makes me disciplined and able to get rid of negative things like being hooked on drugs or getting involved in student brawls. Besides, my English competency surpasses that of my neighbor's children," said Wicak Darmawan, a second-grade junior high student at an international school in Central Jakarta.

Each international school has its own admission requirements and procedures. The North Jakarta International School applies admission procedures based on previous academic records (except in pre-kindergarten and some cases in kindergarten and even in Grade 1), an interview, and the school's English and math placement examinations.

The school which is located in Kelapa Gading Jakarta, currently has students representing 25 different nationalities with an age of between four to 15 years. It sometimes admits students who are complete beginners in English and will enroll them if they show evidence of being able to adapt to the language and program, even if this requires a considerable period of transition.

Because the ability to learn English is essential for academic and social success at NJIS, the school reserves the right to restrict the admission of non-English speaking children in a given class or grade if it is felt that additional non-English speaking children at this grade level would be difficult to accommodate effectively.

If, after a child has already been enrolled, the school becomes aware of learning differences outside of the range described above, the school reserves the right to withdraw the offer of enrollment. This admission revocation is particularly applicable if the parents have not been completely honest in the presentation of information at the time of application.

The school offers an American-based international school curriculum and most of the textbooks and resources are imported from the United States. However, a wide variety of teaching strategies are employed.

At the elementary level, most subjects at NJIS are taught by the homeroom teacher, only some subjects like Bahasa Indonesia, physical education (health studies and personal development are integrated into various disciplines), computer, and music are taught by specialists.

For high school students, there are additional subjects like debating, public speaking, newsletters and yearbooks. Children can also enjoy extra-curricular opportunities such as drama, field trips, and a wide-range of sports.

Meanwhile, the Singapore Indonesian School provides an SIS Language Development Program (SLDP) to students who are not yet proficient in English, to quickly improve their standards in English. Currently, there are two SIS schools for Indonesians: In Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, and Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta.

Besides emphasizing core subjects like mathematics, science, and English, SIS also focuses on mastering Mandarin as a second language, which is well-structured so that it can fit in with the beginners.

Like SIS, Gandhi National Plus School also teaches Mandarin as a second language. Located in Ancol, North Jakarta, and Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, the school also provides special coaching in art, music, and dance, to tap the talents in the children.

Meanwhile, children of more than 60 nationalities living in Jakarta can learn how to appreciate multi-culturalism and enhance personal and social development by fostering co-operation, tolerance, confidence and respect for others as well as the environment through learning and co-curricular activities at the Jakarta International School (JIS) in Pondok Indah and Pattimura, South Jakarta.

Take for example JIS' Middle School co-curricular activities that include school exchanges, Bali stage events, awareness weeks, awards programs, visiting authors, UN Day Festival, service projects, house activities, ESP field trips, LC Field Trips, guest speakers, picnic day, assemblies, dances/parties, spirit days, and drama productions

JIS Middle School also provides counselors that always assist students with personal and academic issues, monitor children's welfare and academic progress, and consult with teachers and parents when the need arises.