Home schooling perceived by many as the best option for children

Alfian ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 05/02/2008 1:46 PM

Anne Kristiani was pleased that her youngest son had (finally) taken an interest in books.

Reading became a nightmare for eight-year-old Pietro when he was four when his kindergarten teacher threatened to lock him up for being unable to read.

"Now he has started to show progress with reading and he often asks me to give him story books," Anne said while waiting for Pietro and his older sister, Krieztee, 12, to finish their mid-semester exams at "Kak Seto Home Schooling" -- their new "school" for the past few months.

Anne said reading had been difficult for Pietro even when he finished kindergarten and registered as a first grade student at a Catholic elementary school in West Jakarta.

"Pietro was still unable to read, but he received loads of reading homework," she said.

She questioned why Pietro often became the object of his teacher's anger while still at a conventional school. The situation also was difficult for Krieztee, who was in fifth grade at the same school, she said.

"When first grade teachers were disappointed with Pietro, they often called his sister and got angry with her too," Anne said.

To avoid raising her children in a stressful environment, Anne decided to stop sending Pietro and Krieztee to the conventional school, and chose home schooling for both of them instead.

They enrolled earlier this year at a home school community established last year by children's education expert Seto Mulyadi (better known as Kak Seto), and Anne has been pleased with the results ever since.

"Pietro is no longer traumatized by reading, and Krieztee got satisfactory results in her national exam trials," Anne said, smiling.

"My children are no longer distressed with studies," she asserted, sharing her happiness with her two friends, Niar Septia and Arni Ardas, who also enrolled their kids at "Kak Seto Home Schooling".

Unlike Anne, Niar and Arni did not have bad experiences with conventional schools. They said they chose home schooling to cater for their children's special needs.

Niar said the main reason for enrolling her 10-year-old daughter, Itamar, into home schooling was because its offered flexible scheduling.

As a kid singer, Itamar has many extra-curricular activities.

"I think home schooling is ideal for her," Niar said.

Arni sent her daughter to home schooling because she was suffering a kidney problem.

"Long sessions of study in conventional classrooms were too much for her," Arni said.

Seto said home schooling was designed to meet children's needs.

"The basic concept behind home schooling is that students can study anytime, anywhere and with anyone," he said.

For Seto himself, the story began some six years ago when his eldest daughter (in the third grade of junior high school) became upset with the academic system at her school.

Failing to convince his daughter to stay at a conventional school, Seto started to gather information on an alternative.

"After doing some research, I found non-formal education was accepted in many other countries, and our law on national education actually stipulates that formal and non-formal education are equal," said Seto, who also chairs the National Commission for Child Protection.

Since then, Seto has enrolled his daughter in home schooling.

Home schooling, he said, aims to achieve equal competence levels to those attained at conventional schools.

"Studies are designed to meet competence levels students already have, to obtain their grade level," Seto said.

However, he said, home schooling does not impose strict schedules, rigid approaches or a heavy curriculum like conventional schools.

"Studying must be enjoyed," Seto said.

The home school community he set up one year ago now has 198 students, ranging from elementary to senior high school levels.

The school holds tutorial meetings twice a week for students and also organizes outings once a month.

"These tutorial meetings aim to teach lessons tested at the national exams, including mathematics, English and Bahasa Indonesia," said Agus Wijoyoto, head tutor at the school.

Studying in such an environment is only part of the home schooling experience, as students must also study at home. The tutors also provide assistance for parents to help their children at home.

Assistance includes guidelines to achieve competence targets, and personal tutorial sessions if required, Agus said.

"We also help parents register for equity tests if they want their children to obtain diplomas from the National Education Ministry," Agus said.

Seto said parents need not worry about whether home schooling would be accepted by higher education or university institutions.

"If these students can pass the equity test," he said, "the higher education institutions are obliged by law to accept them."

The Home Schooling and Alternative Education Association (ASAH PENA) secretary-general, Dhanang Sasongko, said the number of students enrolled in home schooling had increased steadily over the past few years.

"This is a result of mass media coverage and the establishment of the home schooling association, which have both contributed to increasing public awareness of alternative education," he said.

Before the establishment of ASAH PENA, in 2006, there were only between 400 and 600 home schooling students, Dhanang said.

"There are now some 3,800 home schooling students ... and I expect the number will increase by more than 100 percent, next year," he said.

The increase was also a reflection of an increasing number of students who were not satisfied with conventional schools, Dhanang said.

The Education Ministry informal education director general, Ace Suryadi, said the government was fully aware of the home schooling phenomena.

"This is a reality; the public is demanding home schooling," he said.

Ace said the government was working with several home schooling communities to design an ideal format for home-based learning.

The ministry is formulating a regulation on home-based education, aiming to protect the public from irresponsible home schooling enterprises.

"The regulation will, for example, prevent organizations from charging excessive amounts," he said.

Seto said home schooling was not a competitor to conventional schooling, but rather an alternative for students.

"Not every student is suited to the conventional education system, so let the students decide."

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