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JIS empowers students through education
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(Courtesy of JIS)
More than just a catchphrase or passing movement, women’s empowerment has become a worldwide call to action.
The issue is putting the spotlight on education and schools, with the United Nations, Global Vision and other advocates underlining equal access to quality education as the key to empowering girls and women.
While the movement is slowly but surely gaining traction in Indonesia, the education sector finds a longtime proponent of this global initiative in Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS), where inclusivity is embedded in its foundations as a renowned provider of international education.
At JIS, which was founded nearly 70 years ago by a group of UN workers, each student is presented a wide range of learning opportunities that foster critical thinking, independence and confidence.
From Early Years to High School, they are treated as individuals with equal potential, regardless of gender or cultural background, according to JIS Head of School Dr. Tarek Razik.
“We understand the need to empower girls and women for a better, more equal society, and education plays a very powerful role in this charge. As an inclusive, collaborative community of globalized learners, we believe that gender stereotypes or expectations have no place in education.”
“Every student is unique, each with their own hopes and goals, their own interests and strengths; our job is to nurture them. And we do this by giving all students access to a wide and diverse selection of subjects and disciplines, which become especially extensive in high school to prepare them for university.”
A number of JIS graduates have attributed their success of entering higher education to JIS’ approach to gender equality, which they highly appreciated. Allison, class of 2020 graduate, who had studied at JIS since its first grade, is one example.
Currently, Allison is pursuing a double major in hospitality management and food science at Cornell University.
According to her, the many activities on offer at JIS, both academic and extracurricular, allowed her to explore her interests without limitations and discover what she wanted to study after graduation.
She went on to say that these included service-learning clubs and projects, which not only gave her the chance to help underprivileged groups across Indonesia but also made her realize that not every girl her age received the same opportunities as she had.
“Women all around the world have such limitless capabilities, but their opportunities are limited due to a lack of quality education — and quality education for girls and women is crucial in developing an equal society,” said Allison.
“I am very grateful to have been able to study at JIS as a female myself as my time here has steered me in the right direction toward cultivating my passion and creating change in this world.”
Like Allison, recent JIS graduate Manuela highly valued the gender equality supportive learning environment at JIS, where male and female students can have equal academic and non-academic experiences, making them academically and mentally ready for college.
Manuela, who plans to earn a dual degree at Harvard University studying molecular biology and computer science, which are two of her passions, described her time at JIS as empowering, challenging, and full of opportunities. JIS encouraged her to “seize all the challenges and opportunities [she] encountered these past 15 years,” she noted.
“JIS has prepared me for university in various ways. For starters, regarding the university application process, JIS gave me the tools, through my counsellor, to feel beyond supported, understood and guided throughout,” she said.
“JIS has also taught me to be resilient and resourceful and value balance and fun, all of which I believe are important skills needed for not only university but also life beyond school.”
Allison and Manuela are two of the six inspiring JIS students who are changing the meaning of Girl Power. As champions of gender equality and lifelong learning, they emphasize the importance of empowering girls and women through quality education.
The six women students from the JIS Class of 2020 will be studying at Ivy League schools and Oxford University in UK.
“These JIS Dragons are doing their part to bolster this important mission by pursuing their dreams to Be Best for the World, reminding us that girls can change the world. And the time for change is now,” Razik said.
A message saying that the 21st century is the century of girls and women as declared by the United Nations is loud and clear and has reached many schools across the globe. The six inspiring JIS students can, surely, serve as an example to all female students.
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