JP/Reza Abdul Aziz

Several schools in Greater Jakarta use historical buildings that were constructed under the Dutch administration, the majority of which were also used as schools in the colonial era.

The schools have been modified in accordance with modern needs, but many of them have preserved the precious heritage of their buildings.

Here are five of them:

SMAN 9 Bogor

This state senior high school on Jl. Kartini 1 near Bogor Station was built in 1920 under the Dutch administration. The school was named Kartini Hollandsch-Inlandsche School (HIS), the Dutch equivalent of an elementary school.

After changing hands several times, the building was transferred to SMAN 9 Bogor in 1999.

The school building still maintains its original features such as the large windows, iron bars and hardwood teak floor. The most iconic part of the building is a large yellow bell on the school'€™s roof.

To accommodate its needs, the school has added new buildings while maintaining and refurbishing the original heritage. '€œWe reconstructed the second floor by adding cement and concrete under the old wooden floor to strengthen it,'€ said Dinni Sukanti, the school'€™s deputy principal for public relations.

SMAN 1 Jakarta

Located on Jl. Budi Utomo in Sawah Besar, Central Jakarta, the building that this state senior high school is housed in was built in 1889.

In 1946, newly independent Indonesia took over the building and in 1950 it became SMAN 1 Jakarta.

The school has maintained the original architecture of the building, and preserved it as the institution'€™s main feature.

Subandri, an SMAN 1 teacher, said that while adding new buildings and rooms, the integrity of the original structure was always
a priority.

All of the classrooms are still in the colonial architecture style: high ceilings and big wooden windows. Some iconic artifacts and flora remain, such as the antique school bell and two huge trees.

SMAN 1 and SMPN 1 Bogor

The shared compound that houses this state senior high school and junior high school was a Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs (MULO) school under the Dutch administration, and was built in 1918.

MULO was originally a school for Dutch children and those of local aristocrats.

In 1949 the school changed its name to SMPN 1 Bogor.

Later, SMAN 1 Bogor, which had been located on Jl. Paledang since 1946, moved there and built its own classrooms. '€œSMPN 1 owned the place at that time, we were just newcomers,'€ said Amin Syam, SMAN 1 Bogor public relations officer.

There is not much of the original heritage left in the school save for a square building furnished with classic wooden windows, iron bard and classic-style lamp shades. Bogor tourist information lists the building as one of the historical buildings in the area.

SMA and SMP 1 are located on Jl. Juanda Bogor and are surrounded by various cultural and historical sites like the Bogor Palace, Bogor Botanical Gardens, Post Office, Zebaoth and Cathedral church.

SMA YZA 2 Bogor

This private senior high school is run by the Bogor-based Al-Mansyur Foundation. It is located on Jl. Dr. Semeru No. 59, in a building constructed in 1906 on a 3,310-square-meter block of land.

Although it was implicated in a student gang fight in 2009, SMA YZA 2 boasts a historical tower that resembles Indonesia'€™s traditional houses. The tower, built by the Dutch Army during the colonial era, functioned as a watchtower for a sentry to watch local travelers coming into town.

Principal Asep Sapei said that the buildings had originally had many rooms but not much had been preserved.

 '€œThe only things that remain are the old main room and old tower, nothing else,'€ he said.

Asep said the school had not done much to refurbish the old tower. He said that the school did not have sufficient funds or capability to renovate it.

SDN 2 Depok

The building that houses this state elementary school was built in 1716. Initially named Europeesche Lagere School, the school was an evangelism institute for Dutch children in the vicinity under the auspices of Cornelis Castelin, a Depok development figure of the time.

Today, the school is rented to the government by Lembaga Cornelis Castelin (LCC). LCC Assets Officer, Ferdy Jonathans, said the school had only made minor upgrades, as major renovations were prohibited by the LCC community.

Popular

Online crackdown haunts Indonesia protests

No shortcuts for traffic jams

Shell, BP pumps run dry in Jakarta as import caps bite