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Indonesian Classrooms Turn Interactive
FrontLines - November 2009
By Roman Woronowycz
KARAWANG, Indonesia—
Most kids at Madrassah
Tanjungpura in Karawang are
too young to realize how much
their school has changed in the
last four years. They barely
recall when classroom activities
consisted mostly of listening to
the teacher and scribbling notes
from a blackboard, with little
interaction among students in a
drab, austere classroom.
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Students from Madrassah Tanjunpura are benefiting from student-centered learning under a USAID
education project in Indonesia.
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Today students ask questions
and work in groups. Their classroom
is stimulating, with walls
filled with examples of their
work, colorful posters, and
instructional material.
So how do the kids like it?
A classroom of sixth graders
responded enthusiastically.
“I ask the teacher questions!”
said Siti Rodiya.
“I discuss problems with my
classmates!” Ujang Saefudin
added in.
The changes at Madrassah
Tanjungpura are due in large
part to USAID’s Decentralized
Basic Education project, operating
here for three years.
The project is part of a $157
million initiative to provide
assistance to national, provincial,
and local education stakeholders
in Indonesia to make
the classroom experience
inspiring and enjoyable.
Madrassah Tanjungpura, an
Islamic religious school less than
two hours from Jakarta, is one of
1,049 primary schools in seven
Indonesian provinces where the
five-year project is being carried
out. Almost 4,000 other schools
have replicated the program
using their own resources.
In Indonesia, madrassahs follow
the same national curriculum
as secular schools, but also have
a religious education component.
One major hurdle in implementing
decentralized basic education
has been to get teachers to
move from teacher-centered to
student-centered learning.
“It was difficult to get the
teacher accustomed to receiving
feedback from the kids and facilitating
classroom discussions,”
explained Imas, the project’s master
teacher trainer in the Karawang
district, who uses only one name.
With time, teachers began to
understand the importance of using
lesson plans and teaching aids.
This past school year,
Madrassah Tanjungpura attained
the highest scores in student testing
from among all the madrassahs
in its district and placed fifth
in West Java Province.
The reforms at Madrassah
Tanjungpura include the involvement
of the school committee
and parents.
USAID trainers encouraged
the school committee at
Tanjungpura, consisting of community
leaders, to consult more
frequently with parents to
resolve school issues. Today
school budgets and plans are
posted for all to see, and the
administration works closely
with the school committee.
School Principal Wasta
Kamal said that a “spirit of striving
for excellence has taken
hold” as a result of the closer
cooperation.
The classrooms at Madrassah
Tanjungpura still do not meet
many Western expectations:
computers are rare; pupils sit at
gouged wooden tables; paint peels
from dirty walls; and cracked tiles
hang from the ceiling.
But the education inside those
walls is earning high marks—
even from students.
“Mothers have told me that
children do not want to miss
class because they feel they will
miss something important and
enjoyable,” explained Jalu
Cahyanto, USAID project activity
manager.
Imas, the master teacher
trainer, added, “When the
teachers see that the children
are excited, they get excited.”
★
FrontLines is published
by the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
U.S. Agency for International Development
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Material should be submitted
by mail to Editor, FrontLines, USAID,
RRB, Suite 6.10, Washington, DC 20523-6100;
by FAX to 202-216-3035; or by e-mail to frontlines@usaid.gov
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