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Parents know best: SPK schools provide one-of-a-kind learning experience
As much as it affects all aspects of life, the current health crisis also leaves its mark on education in Indonesia, which began the new academic year in mid-July.
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s much as it affects all aspects of life, the current health crisis also leaves its mark on education in Indonesia, which began the new academic year in mid-July. Online home learning, which has been taking place since March, continues, and schools are also implementing online enrollment for new students.
Springfield School Jakarta high school principal and Board of Trustees member Peter Lau told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that entering this new academic year, schools were more well-prepared in terms of infrastructure and teaching for online learning, compared to the previous school term when learning had to immediately shift from offline to online.
Peter, who is already returning to school along with teachers and other staff while students remain at home, said teachers had adapted to the new way of teaching and learning and there had already been positive responses from parents.
“Teachers are now facing different challenges at work [because of the shift]. What they need for teaching now, including [improved] internet [connection], an upgraded PC and laptop and other additional equipment such as a camera, are now provided, but [teachers] also have to come up with a new, effective and exciting formula to keep students focused on the screen while they teach,” said Peter, who added that he also bought some locally made software programs to improve the online teaching and learning experience.
Springfield School Jakarta, which comprises early childhood education, primary, secondary and junior college levels with the IGCSE curriculum, is one of hundreds of schools officially listed as a Joint Cooperation School (SPK) in Indonesia.
The term SPK is applicable to schools jointly established by an Indonesian educational institution with a foreign counterpart and internationally certified accreditation body, and it is the choice of parents who strive to provide the best education possible for their children.
Best education aside, some parents seek international standard learning that will prepare their children for higher education overseas and/or a global career path, and for this purpose, they look to SPK schools.
Officially listed as SPK with the Education and Culture Ministry are 184 pre-schools and kindergartens, 202 elementary schools, 190 secondary schools and 122 high schools. Many of these schools offer the Montessori, Waldorf and Reggio Emilia methods, especially for early learning, as well as International Baccalaureate (IB) programs and diplomas, The College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) programs and Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) curriculum for primary to high school years.
With internationally certified accreditations and most lessons presented in English, subjects on offer include Business and Management, Design Technology, Computer Science and Environmental Systems and Societies particularly for high school. However, Indonesian students who are taking an IB program at an SPK school are also required to take Indonesian language and literature, civics and religion courses –which are presented in Indonesian – and to take national exams in grades 9 and 12. Meanwhile, it is compulsory for foreign students in SPK schools to take Indonesian language and cultural studies courses.
Rigorous curriculum aside, SPK schools also come with superior facilities such as swimming pool, tennis court, soccer field, sports hall, music room and various laboratories. Annual tuition fees of up to 400 million rupiah is therefore the norm.
Daisy, not her real name, told the Post that she and her husband were looking for a school that offered the IB or IGCSE curriculum after they returned to Jakarta after living in Sweden for many years.
“Our son was to enter ninth grade when we arrived in Jakarta, and if we choose a school with the national curriculum, it could be too challenging for him especially because there would be the national exam at the end of the ninth year. So, we looked for a school with a curriculum similar to that in Sweden,” said Daisy.
She went on to say that she didn’t want her children’s potential to be inhibited by language barriers.
However, this year when it is time for Daisy’s son to enroll in an Indonesian university, there are some difficulties because there is a significant difference between the national and international curriculum.
“The IB diploma is [more] suitable for those who want to pursue higher education abroad,” said Daisy.
There are, apparently, many SPK school graduates who continue their study overseas. Peter said that although he couldn’t provide an exact number, Springfield graduates who went to universities abroad outnumbered those who continued study in Indonesia.
“[Springfield alumni] who pursue university education in Indonesia go to the University of Indonesia (UI), Paramadina University and GadjahMada University (UGM) [among others],” said Peter.
The teaching methods in SPK schools –mostly influenced by internationally acclaimed education systems – also appeal to parents whose children need special treatment in learning.
Maria, not her real name, whose 10-year-old son is dyslexic, said she chose an IB school in South Jakarta because it could accommodate her son who is slower in reading and writing than his peers in the same year.
And although her son learns slower, the school always allows him to proceed to the next grade together with his classmates every new academic year, according to Maria.
She said, however, that she hadn’t really seen the school contribute to a very significant development in her son.
“[But] maybe my expectation is too high,” said Maria, adding that she was yet to be fully satisfied with her son’s teachers, but she appreciates that her son is provided with one designated teacher who closely works with and supervises him.
In light of National Children’s Day, which falls on July 23, parents are reminded once again that they are most responsible in fulfilling their children’s rights, according to the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry. Parents are to ensure that they provide only the best for their children’s growth and development, and for those who can afford, an education of global standard provided by a Joint Cooperation School (SPK) could be the ultimate choice.
