To celebrate its 20 years of radio programming, Kang Guru Indonesia (KGI) has announced it will be expanding its programs to help Indonesians, particularly those living in eastern parts, continue to learn English in fun ways.

KGI is supported by Australia’s Agency for International Development and the Australia—Indonesia Partnership. This program aims to create closer relationship between Indonesia and Australia.      

KGI began work in Indonesia with a pilot project in 1989 to broadcast an English language radio program. Called Kang Guru Radio English, the program helped provide Indonesian students in eastern Indonesian, with high quality English language radio programs.

The name Kang Guru and the kangaroo logo were chosen as unifying symbols for Indonesians and Australians. Then-coordinator Phil Brownhill came up with the name.

“Phil insisted that the name was a perfect combination of Indonesian and Australian ideas: Kang means ‘older brother’ in Sundanese and guru means ‘teacher’, so kang guru means ‘brother teacher’. I think Phil at that time had a stroke of genius,” Walter Slamer told youthspeak.

The KGI program started with 12 trial shows broadcast on RRI, the state-sponsored radio broadcaster, in Jakarta . Copies of the programs were then recorded on cassette tapes and sent to schools from Sumatra to East Nusa Tenggara to support English classes.

The program was produced at the Indonesia Australia Language Foundation (IALF) office in Jakarta before moving to IALF’s Denpasar office in 1997. By then the program was airing on 40 radio stations across the country.   

“The program airs once a week at different times on 165 radio stations nationwide. We set a specific theme for each week,” said KGI project coordinator Ogi Yutarini.

The 165 stations that carry the weekly shows are both RRI stations and private ones. Radion stations sponsored by communities, schools and regency governments have picked it up.

After getting enthusiastic responses from Indonesian listeners, KGI expanded its program by publishing free magazines. More than 40,000 copies are distributed to schools and individuals upon request. They also developed their website, www.kangguru.org.

An important KGI initiative that supports its other programs is professional development for teachers. KGI holds free workshops for English teachers who teach at middle schools, high schools and vocational schools.

KGI teams also visit schools in remote areas, distribute free teaching materials that support the curriculum, and support the teachers with ideas and advice. This outreach and professional development program has reached 500 schools nationwide. During 2009 alone KGI has conducted 23 workshops.

“Schools share similar problems in teaching English: they lack high quality materials and native speakers. And many students are reluctant to develop their English skills just because they are afraid of making mistakes. We emphasise that learning English is fun, and easier to learn when the teachers approach it as fun,” Ogi said. 

Kevin Dalton, a KGI project manager,said helping to create weekly radio programs and the magazines have always been two of his favorite contributions to Kang Guru’s work. 

“We have touched the lives of millions of teachers and students in Indonesia. The number of schools using KGI materials for English teaching process has multiplied. More and more schools have benefited from KGI’s curriculum support materials, workshops and online learning resources,” he said.

To reach more people in new ways, KGI created a Facebook account in July. They have almost 600 friends. 

“To be friended by KGI on Facebook, you just send a personal message in English. We also ask our Facebook friends to always use English, so it gives students a way to practice that they already know and like,” said Ayu Kusumastuti, KGI media and communication coordinator, who created the account. 

On the Facebook account, friends can also take various quizzes and solve riddles created by the KGI team. 

Recently, KGI selected seven people as representatives to help take care of KGI programs in their respective areas. The “champions”, as these seven are called, come from Jakarta, Makassar, Madura, Mataram, Medan, Pontianak and Semarang.

“Each of us helps promoting KGI and its activities in our areas. We visit schools and organize workshops,” said Ririn Pudya, one of the representatives.

How to access KGI:

• Radio programs: Contact your local RRI or private station.

 Check the broadcast schedules in the KGI magazine or on the website http://www.kangguru.org/radio/englishradioschedules.htm

• Magazine: To receive a magazine, send a letter, postcard,or e-mail to KGI.
Be sure to write at least 70 words telling KGI about yourself — hobbies, interests, school, etc.

• Website: Click http://www.kangguru.org/radio/englishradioschedules.htm

• Facebook: Add Kang Guru Indonesia as your friend by writing a personal message in English.

• Contact details: Kang Guru Indonesia:

IALF Bali
PO BOX 3095
Denpasar, Bali
Phone: (0361) 225243
Fax: (0361) 263509
E-mail:kangguru@ialf.edu