National-plus schools teach students to speak up

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 05/14/2006 12:16 PM

T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta

Silence is golden. Right? Not always, especially if the setting is a meeting in which everyone is expected to speak up.

Unfortunately, some people prefer to remain silent and say nothing during such meetings -- a common occurrence at many places in the country.

""There are many Indonesians who are clever, but in a meeting they dare not express their ideas,"" said Darmajenie, who works for a foreign oil company. ""Westerners (at meetings) often wonder whether they are really clever or not.""

This type of person is even quieter if the meeting is held in English, as they also have problems with the language.

That's why Darmajenie sends his son to a national-plus elementary school, hoping that he will grow into a young man who is not only clever, but is also able to express himself clearly, especially in an international setting.

His son, Arian, who is not yet 11 years old, is in fifth grade at Highscope Elementary School on Jl. TB Simatupang, South Jakarta. He has attended the bilingual school since second grade.

Darmajenie decided to transfer his son from an ""ordinary"" school to the national-plus one because he wanted the boy to have a better education and personal development through an active learning system.

""He learns why A is A, why 1 and 1 equals 2. He learns to use logic, learns about being independent and how to express his ideas clearly,"" the father said.

Even though Arian is still very young, he does not hesitate to argue with his father or criticize him.

""Sometimes I have to remind him that if his argument is not accepted, he should give up and concede defeat,"" said Darmajenie.

He underlines that no matter how good a school is, parents should not leave everything up to the teachers, as parents are also responsible for their children's education.

National-plus schools can be found in various parts of Jakarta as well as in many big cities in the country, with the word ""plus"" suggesting a higher standard of education. Another thing that makes them stand out from ""ordinary"" schools is that classes are bilingual, which explains why Arian and many Indonesian children can speak English fluently.

Nia Chalil, a housewife, decided to send her daughter to Mentari Citra, a national-plus elementary school in Bintaro, Tangerang, as she believed that eight-year-old Myrea would be in the right hands with the quality of education offered by the school.

Myrea previous attended a local ""non-plus"" kindergarten located not far from her house in Joglo, West Jakarta, for two years. But Nia was not happy with the school. In the first year, she was told by a teacher that Myrea only played with one girl and refused to mingle with other classmates. Nia said the teacher did little to help her introverted daughter learn how to socialize. In the second year, the daughter complained of boredom and became reluctant to go to school.

At the current school, Myrea gets along well with her classmates and has become more confident.

""She is not hesitant to voice her ideas,"" Nia said proudly, ""and her English is good.""

English is also the main reason why Atu Alam sends her 13-year-old son, Fadel, to a national-plus school, Madania, in Parung, Bogor.

Even though he was born here, Fadel spent seven years of his childhood in the United States. Therefore, when the family returned to Indonesia three years ago, Fadel could not speak Indonesian fluently.

""We looked for a school with an education system like that in the United States and we found that Madania comes close, even though of course things are not really the same,"" Atu said.

Like schools in America, Madania does not apply the ranking system, said Atu, who believes that such a system is burdensome for students when the barometer to decide rank is not always clear.

""There is also two-way interaction between teachers and students, while at many local schools there is only one-way interaction,"" she said.

""The teacher acts more as a facilitator than a lecturer, encouraging students to be more creative and to think. There is no spoon-feeding,"" she said.

Madania, which applies integrated national and international curricula, offers a global assessment certificate, which enables direct entry into international universities.

Unlike conventional schools that have an abundance of subjects, national-plus schools offer fewer subjects so that students are not overburdened or become stressed. Students of national-plus schools also get less homework.

Of course, quality education comes with a price.

National-plus schools charge a new student up to tens of millions of rupiah to register and monthly school fees start from about Rp 1 million to several million.

Atu paid Rp 30 million to enroll her son in the school and pays a Rp 1.05 million monthly fee. The enrollment fee is now about Rp 40 million.

Nia said that in 2004, when she was looking around for a school for her daughter, she initially intended to send her to Mentari school in Cipete, South Jakarta, but her husband objected to the cost -- registration was Rp 35 million and monthly tuition Rp 2.5 million. (Currently it is Rp 40 million and Rp 2.75 million respectively.) Therefore, when she learned that Mentari would open in Bintaro and, as a new school, was charging less, she enrolled her daughter there.

Nia pays Rp 1 million a month for Myrea's tuition. Registration in 2004 was Rp 12 million, but is now Rp 18.5 million.

""I want my children to have a quality basic education because I believe that they need to develop their way of thinking at a young age. And I am happy with the results,"" Nia said.

""I just wish quality education was more affordable,"" she added.

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