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.