Coleman

Indonesias International Standard Schools

Indonesias International Standard Schools : What are they for?1

Hywel Coleman2 Using data from a recent three nation survey of policy and practice regarding the teaching of other subjects through the medium of English, this paper examines the phenomenon of what in Indonesia are known as International Standard Schools. The paper begins by providing brief background information on Indonesia and its education system. It identifies different categories of international standard school and then explores possible rationales for their establishment in Indonesia. Finally the paper considers the impact which these schools may be having.

Background

Indonesia has the fourth largest population in the world (after China, India and the United States) and it is the country which has the worlds largest Muslim population. Table 1 : Indonesia compared to Bangladesh and the UK (extracted from World Bank 2009a, 2009b) Banglad esh Population (millions) in 2007 Average GNI ($) in 2008 Ranking (from 210) Income category 159 520 186 Low Indone sia 226 2,010 142 Lower middle UK 61 45,3 90 18 High

Table 1 compares Indonesia to Bangladesh (where the 8th Language and Development Conference took place) and the UK (which is where the author of this article originates from). Indonesias population of 226 million is 40% larger than that of Bangladesh and 270% larger than that of the UK. The average gross national income of Indonesia is $2010, about four times that of Bangladesh but only 4% of that of the UK. According to the World Bank, Indonesia ranks 142nd from 210 countries in terms of income, thus putting it in the category of lower middle income nations. Indonesias education system is large and complex. As Table 2 indicates, there are both state and private educational institutions (with the role of private institutions becoming
1 2

Paper presented at the 8th Language and Development Conference, Dhaka, 23-25 June 2009. Honorary Senior Research Fellow, School of Education, University of Leeds, UK; email h.coleman@adm.leeds.ac.uk; web www.hywelcoleman.com

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increasingly important as one rises up the system from primary through secondary schools to universities). There are also secular and Islamic educational institutions; the secular education system is managed by the Department of National Education whilst the Islamic institutions are managed by the Department of Religious Affairs. Table 2 : Four categories of school in Indonesia sta te priva te

secul ar Islam ic

A revision to the Indonesian constitution mandates the government to spend 20% of the national budget on education and the present government is endeavouring to achieve this ambition. The national language, Bahasa Indonesia, has been used for all functions, from primary to higher education, for scientific publishing, legislation, broadcasting and so on; historically, English has been of minor importance. However, some shifts are currently taking place in the relative importance of Bahasa Indonesia, English and the local languages of Indonesia (Lamb & Coleman 2008). The original survey on which this paper is based was commissioned by the British Council in East Asia with the objective of investigating the teaching of other subjects through the medium of English in schools in Thailand, Korea and Indonesia. Two further papers have emerged from the same survey (Coleman 2009a, 2009b).3

What are international standard schools?

In the Indonesian context, there are three categories of international school, as follows : True international schools - such as the British International School (http://www.bis.or.id/index_home.php) and the Ghandi Memorial International School (http://www.gandhijkt.org/) - aim to serve the educational needs of the children of expatriates who are working in Indonesia. Indonesian versions of true international schools cater mainly for the children of the extremely wealthy Indonesian urban elite as well as some expatriate children. The medium of instruction is English and many members of staff are foreigners. The Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional (RSBI) or new shoot international standard schools are state or private and secular or Islamic schools which have been granted special status and additional funding to enable them to work towards achieving international quality.

It should be noted that the views expressed in all three papers do not necessarily represent those of the British Council.

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Approximately 170 RSBI primary schools and 700 RSBI secondary schools were established between 2007 and 2009. In practice, rather than convert themselves wholescale into international standard institutions, most schools participating in the scheme have established RSBI classes which operate in parallel to standard classes, although the RSBI classes tend to enjoy better facilities. Eventually, every district in the country will be expected to have one international standard school in each of four categories (primary, junior secondary, senior secondary and vocational secondary); this means that ultimately there will be approximately 2000 RSBI schools in Indonesias 500 districts. The new shoot schools have been told that they are to reach international standard within three to five years. International standard is defined in terms of nine areas for quality assurance, summarised in Table 3. Table 3 : Nine areas for quality assurance in Indonesian International Standard Schools (extracted from Depdiknas 2007) Areas for quality assurance 1. Accreditation 2. Curriculum 3. Learningteaching process 4. Evaluation 5. Teachers 6. Headteachers 7. Facilities & resources 8. Management 9. Financing Examples of quality indicators school is also accredited by a school accreditation body in an OECD member nation lesson content equivalent to or higher than that taught in an OECD member country Science, mathematics and core vocational subjects are taught using English. In primary schools, teaching science and mathematics through English begins in Year 4. enriched with modes of evaluation employed in an OECD member country Teachers of science, mathematics and core vocational subjects are able to deliver lessons through English Headteacher has active mastery of English possesses international vision, capable of developing international links Internet access School is multicultural Achieves Indonesian National Education Standard for school financing.

The summary in Table 3 presents only a small selection of the very detailed specifications for quality assurance in international standard schools. With regard to the use of language in these schools, the specifications state that in primary schools English should be used as the medium of instruction for science and mathematics from Year 44, whilst in all junior secondary, senior secondary and vocational secondary schools English should be used for the teaching of science, mathematics and core vocational subjects. Teachers of science,
4

However, a later document makes no mention of using English as the medium of instruction in primary schools (Depdiknas 2008).

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mathematics and core vocational subjects should be able to teach their subjects in English and headteachers should master English actively. The use of English international standard schools is discussed in more detail in Section 4 below. International standard schools receive financial support for three years. As Table 4 shows, in addition to the routine funding granted to all schools from central and district government, RSBI schools receive special grants from central, provincial and district governments. The actual amounts vary from district to district, from province to province and also according to the level of school. The example in Table 4 (adapted from Fahturahman 2009) is from a junior secondary school in a municipality in the province of West Java. The additional funds (Rp700 million) are worth more than double the routine funds (Rp318 million). This is a very substantial addition to a schools income and consequently, from the school managements perspective, international standard school status is an extremely attractive option. Table 4 : Routine and additional funds available annually to RSBI (International Standard Schools) (adapted from Fahturahman 2009) Source of funds Routine, central government Routine, district Sub-total routine RSBI, central government RSBI, province RSBI, district Sub-total RSBI Total routine + RSBI Rupiah (millio ns) 62 256 318 300 240 160 700 1,018 3,80 0 15,7 00 19,5 00 18,5 00 14,8 00 9,80 0 43,1 00 62,6 00

Furthermore, unlike the majority of state schools, international standard schools are permitted to charge fees. These vary enormously from one school to another but a monthly fee of up to Rp1.5 million - 92 - per month is not uncommon in urban areas.5 Not surprisingly when such fees are charged it is only the wealthy who can afford to educate their children in the international standard schools. One headteacher observed with pride, Our parents are busy. Children are brought to school by their drivers and nursemaids.

3
5

What is the rationale for establishing international standard schools?

For comparison, a supermarket cashier in the capital, Jakarta, earns about Rp900,000 (55) per month.

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What arguments have been put forward for establishing international standard schools and, specifically, for introducing the teaching of other subjects through English? Two possibilities globalisation and travel abroad - are repeatedly adduced in the documentation and in interviews, whilst it has also been suggested that international standard schools are intended to constitute a particular category of school quality. 3.1 Globalisation

Throughout the documentation relating to international standard schools the term globalisation is used as an apparent justification in favour of RSBI, although the argument is never spelt out in detail : Education will produce people of [high] quality who can compete locally and internationally. This is important in the era of globalisation and the free market, in which competition between nations is becoming ever more transparent and uninhibited. (Hadi et al. 2007:1) Coleman (2009a) has shown that globalisation almost always collocates with competition, in a way that suggests that globalisation is perceived as a threat rather than as an opportunity. International relations are seen in terms of antagonism rather than collaboration. This view of globalisation has reached as far as primary schools, as the following extract from the 2008 prospectus of a private international standard primary school illustrates : Vision : Leading towards a school which is innovative, prestigious and religious such that its graduates are innovative, possess high morals and are competitive globally. It is not easy to imagine what qualities will have been instilled in the twelve year old graduates of this primary school which will enable them to compete globally! The use of English also frequently collocates with globalisation in government and school documents. The relationship is never spelt out explicitly, but it is approximately as shown in Figure 1. The Figure shows that globalisation is perceived as being synonymous with international competition; international competition in turn is assumed to involve the use of English; and using English appears to necessitate the learning of other subjects through English. GLOBALISATION = INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION = USING ENGLISH

LEARNING OTHER SUBJECTS THROUGH ENGLISH Figure 1 : Perceived relationships between globalisation and other concepts But several aspects of this formulation can be problematised. As we have seen, globalisation need not imply competition. Equally, the need for English in international contacts (whether 5

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those contacts are competitive or collaborative in nature) does not imply that learning of mathematics, science and vocational subjects in school should take place in English. 3.2 Going abroad

The second rationale which is often proposed for creating international standard schools is that (some) pupils will continue their studies abroad. As one headteacher suggested : Its for the long term, so that the pupils can study abroad. But from Indonesias population of 226 million (Table 1 above), what proportion have the opportunity to study abroad? No precise statistics are available, but a best estimate suggests that approximately 50,000 Indonesians are studying abroad at any one time (Coleman 2009a). Although some are able to study abroad because they are awarded scholarships, many are in a position to study abroad because of their economically comfortable backgrounds. In contrast, there are at least 2.5 million migrant workers from Indonesia working abroad at any one time (ILO 2008). These people the majority of whom are primary school or junior secondary school graduates - often experience extremely difficult employment conditions when they work abroad, but they are thought to be generating over $6 billion in foreign exchange for their country each year. They receive little if any education or training which is specially designed to enable them to survive and flourish abroad. Consequently, if going abroad really is a rationale for the creation of international standard schools, it would appear that the substantial resources which Indonesia makes available for this scheme is being directed towards a relatively small group of overseas students (who tend to come from middle class backgrounds) rather than a much larger group of migrant workers (who tend to come from much more humble backgrounds). 3.3 Category of quality?

In terms of quality, Indonesian schools fall into three categories : Outstanding (Unggul) National standard Below national standard It has been suggested (Fahturahman, personal communication) that in fact international standard schools are expected to constitute a new super category which is of even higher quality than the outstanding schools : International standard Outstanding National standard Below national standard. If this is the case, then the international standard (Table 3) becomes the ultimate target for all schools in Indonesia. There are two difficulties with this scenario. The first concerns the sustainability of the international standard schools. We have seen that they are recipients of generous funding, but it is unlikely that central, provincial and district governments will be able to maintain such a level of funding on an indefinite basis. Unless they can find alternative sources of 6

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funding in the next year or two, therefore, many international standard schools are going to experience a sudden and substantial drop in income in the not so distant future. The second difficulty concerns policy regarding the allocation of limited resources. In an education system which is known to have a large body of sub-standard schools and a small group of high quality schools, one would expect that resources would be more likely to be directed towards improving quality in the weaker schools rather than in the elite institutions. Investment in the substandard schools is likely to produce a much more substantial impact on improvement in learner achievement than focusing funds at the top end of the system. However this appears not to be the case in Indonesia, where much larger sums of money are being allocated to schools at the top of the system than to those at the lower end.

English in the international standard schools

It was noted in Section 2 above that teachers in international standard schools are expected to teach mathematics, science and core vocational subjects using English from Year 4 of primary and right through secondary school. Headteachers are also expected to have an active mastery of English. The reality, however, is that very few teachers of these subjects in international standard secondary schools have a working competence in English. The findings of a survey of 27,000 teachers in RSBI junior secondary, senior secondary and vocational secondary schools (Depdiknas 2009) are summarised in Table 5. More than half of all teachers and headteachers possess only a novice proficiency level in English, scoring between 10 and 250 on a 990 point scale. A further 45% of teachers and headteachers have an elementary or intermediate level of English. Only 0.7% of teachers and 0.2% of headteachers have an advanced working or general professional level of proficiency in English. Table 5 : English proficiency of 27,000 teachers in international standard secondary schools (adapted from Depdiknas 2009) Proficiency level General Professiona l Advanced Working Basic Working Intermediat e Elementary Novice Total Score 905-990 785-900 605-780 405-600 255-400 10-250 All teachers, 2007-8 0.1% 0.6% 3.6% 12.9% 32.1% 50.7% 100.0% All heads, 2007-8 0.0% 0.2% 3.6% 14.6% 30.5% 51.0% 99.9% English teachers, 2008 1.1% 4.4% 21.7% 39.4% 26.1% 7.4% 100.1%

(No information is available about the English language competence of teachers and headteachers in primary schools, but we can assume with some confidence that it is no

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stronger than and indeed is probably weaker than - that of teachers and headteachers in secondary schools.) In practice, therefore, many RSBI schools are not yet attempting to use English as the medium of instruction. Some say that they slip in some English terms while teaching, whereas others have postponed making a decision about the teaching of other subjects through English. On the other hand, surprisingly, some schools have enthusiastically adopted English as the medium of instruction, even as early as the first year of primary school in some cases. There is a great deal of heterogeneity in the ways in which schools and individual teachers go about the task of teaching other subjects through English. From a survey of teacher-produced teaching materials it appears that teachers are receiving little support and are having to rely on their own intuitions. For instance one primary school teacher of science produced materials which alternated between English and Bahasa Indonesia from one activity to the next, apparently assuming that : Pupils levels of competence in English and Bahasa Indonesia are the same Children are able to flip between two languages without difficulty Childrens conceptual development takes place in an integrated manner, independent of the two languages. But these assumptions are questionable. It is difficult to imagine how childrens conceptual development can take place independently of their competence in the language which is used as medium of instruction.

What effects are international standard schools having?

No systematic research has yet been carried out into the impact which studying in Englishmedium international standard schools has on pupils concept formation and subject learning more generally. However we cannot avoid being concerned about the risks for learners when their own English is limited and when their teachers also lack a working proficiency in English. There must also be worries that children who are taught core subjects through English are losing the opportunity to develop their competence in Bahasa Indonesia. Never having an opportunity to explore mathematics, for example, through Bahasa Indonesia is likely to leave children unable to interact with other Indonesians who have studied mathematics through their national language. Increased use of English as the medium of instruction is also likely to lead to further marginalisation of Indonesias mother tongues within the education system. Neglecting a language in the education system is an effective way of killing it, since parents make strategic choices about language use depending on the perceived usefulness of certain languages in schools, in examinations and for admission to higher levels of education. There may be other serious consequences if home languages are not used in school, as Table 6 indicates. Indonesia has over 700 indigenous languages (Lewis 2009), but only the 10% of the population which have Bahasa Indonesia as their mother tongue are able to study through their first language (Kosonen 2008). In comparison, there is just one indigenous language in Korea, which means that 100% of Koreans are able to study through their mother tongue.

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Table 6 : Languages, education in first language and learners proficiency in Korea, Thailand and Indonesia Number of indigenous languages (Lewis 2009) Population with access to education in first language (Kosonen 2008) Average Reading proficiency in national language score age 15 (OECD 2007) Rank/56 Average score Mathematics ability age 15 (OECD 2007) Rank/57 Average score Science ability age 15 (OECD 2007) Rank/57 Korea Thailand Indonesia 1 74 719 100 50% 10% % 556 1 549 1 522 7 417 41 417 43 421 44 393 44 391 49 391 50

In terms of the reading proficiency of 15 year olds in the national language, Indonesia is ranked 44th from 56 nations whilst Korea is in first place. Similarly large differences are found in science and mathematics ability. Thus there appears to be strong evidence that denying access to education in the first language leads to poor educational achievement. Kosonen concludes that a reason for this is that teachers and students speak different languages. There is another aspect of the impact of international standard schools. There is considerable anecdotal evidence that pupils in mainstream classes and ordinary schools feel resentment towards pupils in international standard classes and international standard schools because of the superior facilities which the latter enjoy. There is also some evidence that pupils in international standard schools develop a heightened (exaggerated?) sense of their intellectual and social superiority because they are isolated from their peers. The extent of these negative attitudinal impacts require further investigation.

Conclusions

The following conclusions regarding Indonesias international standard schools can be drawn: The purpose of these schools is ambiguous. The schools are heavily subsidised, even though they cater principally for the middle classes and fees are charged. The purpose of teaching other subjects through English is unclear. Language policy varies from one international standard school to another. Many teachers do not possess the English language competence they need to teach core subjects. It is likely that childrens development of core concepts is being negatively affected by having to study through English. The consequences for other languages in Indonesia are potentially serious : competence in the national language (Bahasa Indonesia) is likely to decline if increasing emphasis is laid on English, whilst Indonesias 700+ indigenous languages are likely to be even further marginalised in the education system. Indonesia already

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performs poorly compared to its neighbours in basic literacy, in science and in maths and this can to some extent at least be attributed to the non-use of indigenous languages in education. The international standard schools appear to give rise to negative social attitudes between their pupils and those who study in mainstream schools.

References
Coleman, H. 2009a. Are International Standard Schools really a response to globalisation? Paper presented at the International Seminar Responding to Global Education Challenges, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 19 May 2009. Coleman, H. 2009b. Teaching other subjects through English in two Asian nations : A review. Paper presented at the British Council Symposium on English Bilingual Education, Jakarta, Indonesia, 9-11 June 2009. Depdiknas (Departemen Pendidikan Nasional). 2007. Pedoman Penjaminan Mutu Sekolah/Madrasah Bertaraf Internasional Jenjang Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah. Jakarta : Direktorat Tenaga Kependidikan, Direktorat Jenderal Peningkatan Mutu Pendidik dan Tenaga Kependidikan, Departemen Pendidikan Nasional. Depdiknas (Departemen Pendidikan Nasional). 2008. Panduan Penyelenggaraan Rintisan Sekolah Dasar Bertaraf Internasional. Jakarta : Direktorat Pembinaan Taman KanakKanak dan Sekolah Dasar, Direktorat Jenderal Manajemen Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah, Departemen Pendidikan Nasional. Depdiknas (Departemen Pendidikan Nasional). 2009. Peta Kemampuan Bahasa Inggris Pendidik dan Tenaga Kependidikan Rintisan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional Berdasarkan Test of English for International communication (TOEIC). Jakarta : Direktorat Tenaga Kependidikan, Direktorat Jenderal Peningkatan Mutu Pendidik dan Tenaga Kependidikan, Departemen Pendidikan Nasional. Fahturahman. 2009. Decentralisation of Education Finance in Indonesia : Perceptions of Policy Makers. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Birmingham, UK. Hadi, D.W., Supriyadi T., Yufridawati, Handayani, M., Karmidah dan Relisa. 2007. Model SMA Bertaraf Internasional : Hasil Refleksi dari Penyelenggaraan yang Ada. Jakarta : Pusat Penelitian Kebijakan dan Inovasi Pendidikan, Badan Penelitian dan Pengembangan, Departemen Pendidikan Nasional. ILO. 2008. Press Release : Utilising Remittances of Migrant Workers for Productive Investment. 21-11-2008. Jakarta : International Labour Organisation. Kosonen, K. 2008. Language-in-education policies in Southeast Asia. Keynote paper presented during SEAMEO Workshop on Using Mother Tongue as Bridge Language of Instruction in Southeast Asian Countries : Policy, Strategies and Advocacy, Bangkok, 19-20 February 2008. www.seameo.org/images/stories/Projects/2008_MotherTongueBridgeLang/KeyNotes/Koson en_MotherTongue_SEAMEO_Workshop_Plicy_Issues_by_Kimmo.pdf, accessed 02-062009. 10

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Lamb, M. and Coleman, H. 2008. Literacy in English and the transformation of self and society in post-Soeharto Indonesia. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 11(2), 189-205. Lewis, M.P. (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue : Languages of the World. 16th edition. Dallas : SIL International. Online version at http://www.ethnologue.com/. OECD. 2007. PISA [Programme for International Student Assessment] 2006 : Science Competencies for Tomorrows World. Paris : Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD). World Bank. 2009a. Key Development Data and Statistics. Washington : World Bank. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DATASTATISTICS/0,,contentMDK:2053 5285~menuPK:1192694~pagePK:64133150~piPK:64133175~theSitePK:239419,00.html, accessed 14-08-2009. World Bank. 2009b. Gross national income per capita 2008, Atlas method and PPP. World Development Indicators Database, 1 July 2009. Washington : World Bank. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/GNIPC.pdf, accessed 1408-2009.

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