The myth of national plus schools in RI

Pieter Van Der Vienhart, Tilburg, Netherlands

The matter, and even it seems growing problem for many Indonesian schools currently, of bilingual education has received scrutiny from a number of different writers in this newspaper. From an Indonesian teacher (Alex Tubagus) to a visiting/ resident researcher (Jan Dormer) and a consultant on communication (Eric E. Hallet), various perspectives have been highlighted in these pages.

Each of these contributors, in their own way, has added something to the debate and indeed development of bilingual education in and for Indonesian schools but it is very important that we retain a realistic and as accurate and true a picture of what is really happening in Indonesia currently. This, also, very directly means that we do not simplistically pass over and ignore the real concerns that exist throughout the Indonesian schooling system and its various sectors and segments.

Tubagus in his article, which seemed to spark some of the debate in this newspaper, expressed his concern that the English language was being incorporated into Indonesian schools at the expense of the first language of Bahasa Indonesia. This is a priori, both a mistake and rather an offense in the context of bilingual education as it very directly entertains the notion that one language must supersede another. This is not bilingualism at all. This becomes even more offensive and wrong when we consider that a foreign language is being placed ahead of the native tongue.

But alongside this concern, that English is inappropriately being pushed to take over from the native language, there has to be the concern that the English language is, quite frankly, being hijacked for marketing purposes for schools to gain enrollment and this brings us to the notion of these "national plus" schools of which Hallet was only fleeting in mentioning and really rather over-trusting and believing.

The idea that these "national plus" schools are all well- equipped and staffed to be able to fully and professionally offer bilingual programs of study is both a shallow analysis and an oversimplification of what is really happening on the ground. While there are some schools that use the banner -- and let us face facts -- as a marketing tool of the name "national plus" school that are well-equipped and managed to offer such programs, there is a bitter reality that there are too many schools claiming this "national plus" status that are neither well- managed nor equipped to do any such thing.

In addition, there is the difficult and quite disturbing reality that these "national plus" schools are quite often little or no better than Indonesian state schools. This leads to the quite peculiar situation wherein a school and its staff may consider itself to be better, and is notably more expensive, than a state school while the contrary is true. State schools may be found that are significantly better than these questionable "plus" schools and yet are significantly cheaper in terms of fees.

Indeed, when speaking to more cynical people about certain "national plus" schools (and this includes unhappy parents that have subsequently withdrawn their children from these schools) a general comment is that "the only real plus that exists is the plus, plus, plus to the price of the enrollment and tuition fees for such schools".

The whole notion of bilingual education in this context becomes problematic and worrisome. English is being used to justify expensive schools without sufficient educational credentials and credibility. Some schools so significantly predicate themselves on the idea of English within the school that they simplistically employ people that can use the language but have absolutely no educational management skills or experience.

One school claiming national plus status was reported to me as employing a man as its "Headmaster" simply on the basis that he could speak English. He had previously been employed in one of Jakarta's many private English schools -- and, it seems, one of the less reputable ones to boot.

It is abundantly clear to anyone that takes the time to look that there are some very good schools that genuinely can offer a number of "pluses" beyond what national schools generally are able to offer and this includes bilingual programs. These schools can truly be called national plus. But, in the current context, it would be wrong for us to uncritically accept the title "national plus" as a guarantor of either bilingual schooling or, for that matter, quality educational management and systems.

It is increasingly clear that there are too many schools being allowed to open up with the claim of being national plus. Too many of these schools lack the educational credibility and the human resources and knowledge to provide bilingual education.

Prospective and even current "national plus" schools need to be carefully vetted and certified and those national plus schools that really can offer a plus to parents and their children should be increasingly concerned by the way in which their title is being hijacked and their good name is being damaged.

The writer is an education consultant. He can be reached at pietervdv48@hotmail.com.