Tangerang teachers get free English training
Tangerang teachers get free English training
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post/Tangerang
Around ten minutes after English training for 52 elementary
school teachers officially kicked off at the LIA Cikokol Language
Institute in Tangerang, the instructor walked into the classroom
carrying a plastic bag.
"A snack, a snack, that is a snack," one of the teachers said
to her friend while pointing to a plastic bag placed on the
instructor's desk.
English instructor Dewi Chairiah was obviously puzzled by the
teacher's behavior.
After being asked repeatedly by the instructor, the two told
the class shyly that they thought that the instructor had brought
them snacks for the class.
"Just kidding aja sir," one of the teachers quipped.
"You can't eat even if it were a snack because we are
fasting," said the instructor.
"What should I call you? Miss or Mrs?" the instructor asked,
to which the students simultaneously answered: "Call us Ibu aja,
sir."
Thus was the scene on the first day of an English training
session organized by PT Nestle Indonesia in Cikupa, Tangerang for
52 English teachers from 26 districts in the regency last
Thursday.
Prior to the training, the teachers took a placement test.
Following the test, the teachers were grouped in accordance to
their English fluency.
Under the program, the teachers will attend English classes
twice a week for three months, free of charge.
During the first day of training everyone appeared to very
much enjoy the class, which kicked off with a song.
After singing together, the students received a text book,
work book and a lesson cassette.
"These English classes are very useful for elementary school
teachers like us. I will use the skills obtained here to teach my
students in the classroom," Indah Rahayu Dewi, a teacher from
Mauk State Elementary School, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
She said that all participants were very happy because they
had the chance to improve their English free of charge, and also
to get together with fellow teachers from various districts.
"We appreciate what PT Nestle Indonesia Cikupa is doing for
us. It shows their concern to improve education quality in
Tangerang and we hope that other firms will follow suit," she
said.
Mad Chotib, a teacher of Bojong Nangka State Elementary school
in Legok district, said that such training programs would be very
helpful not only for teachers but also for students.
"I will transfer the knowledge and skills I obtained through
the training to my students," he said, adding that the program
could also help broaden his worldview.
Aside from English training, the teachers also attended a two-
day computer training session at the Bina Nusantara University in
Jakarta from Sept. 14.
"Good food is not enough to have a good life. That is why we
allocate some funds to help improve the quality of education for
people in areas where our factories operate," Nestle Indonesia
spokesman Brata Harjosubroto said when handing out computer
certificates to the 52 teachers in Cikupa last week.
Brata said that the elementary school teachers were chosen
because they were responsible for planting the foundation of
basic education to students and "it means they have to share
their knowledge and skills with students at their respective
schools."
"We hope that other industrial firms will also pay attention
to education quality in the region where they have factories," he
said.
Tangerang regent Ismet Iskandar admitted that elementary
school teachers were very weak in computer and English language
skills.
"Helping improve education quality in the region is something
that all industrial firms should do because each of them has a
social responsibility to advance society," he said.
He said that Tangerang was home to some 2,400 industrial firms
but only a few showed any concern for improving education in the
regency.