The changing face OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION IN


As demand for high-quality English-medium education continues to grow, major changes have been made to the regulations surrounding Indonesia’s international schools.


D


on’t expect to find the name ‘international’ in a list of schools suitable for expatriate children if searching for education options in Indonesia from now on. International schools in Indonesia experienced some major changes in government regulations in 2015, including the requirement that no school in the country can now be called an ‘international’ school. Indonesia’s Ministry of Education set the new standard, along with several others, in December 2014 because it said that some schools were not meeting appropriate standards for international schools. As a result, international schools that are located in the country have been forced to change their names. The popular British International School is now known as the British School Jakarta, and the renowned Jakarta International School is now the Jakarta Intercultural School, keeping its JIS acronym. Some other schools are simply using their original acronyms with no full-name association. Another new regulation requires all schools in the country,


including international schools, to deliver Indonesian culture and language learning to foreign students. The government has also laid down more extensive demands for Indonesian language, religious education, history, and citizenship studies for local children.


A third directive sets expectations for the employment of staff, requiring that teachers at international schools (including expatriate teachers) must have at last five years of qualified experience and be proficient in the Indonesian language, owing to the compulsory subjects which Indonesian students studying at international schools must take.


In addition, international schools in Indonesia can no longer be fully owned by foreign stakeholders. The new law states that foreigners can only own 49 per cent of a school, and the school must have evidence of sufficient capital to run for at least the next six years.


Although these recent government regulations suggest there were questionable standards, most of Indonesia’s international schools have very good reputations and are the preferred education choice amongst many wealthier local families and expatriates.


Indonesia


INTERNATIONAL-SCHOOL OPTIONS According to the latest data by ISC Research, Indonesia


currently has 192 English-medium international schools, between them teaching more than 53,000 students.


Jakarta dominates, with the largest selection of schools in south Jakarta, where there are 34, followed by north and west Jakarta with 21 schools apiece. Of Indonesia’s international schools, 52 per cent are British in their orientation. One of the leading schools is the British School Jakarta, which is based in the south west of Jakarta. The school meets the requirements of the National Curriculum of England through the creative and internationally minded learning approach of the International Primary Curriculum. Its high-school students study for GCSEs followed by the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). Another popular school choice is Beacon Academy, located in north Jakarta, which also uses the International Primary Curriculum as well as its sister programme, the International Middle Years Curriculum before students move into high school to prepare for Cambridge IGCSEs and the IBDP. Seventeen per cent of Indonesia’s international schools are US oriented. Jakarta Intercultural School is one of these. The school has 2,400 students on four campuses throughout Jakarta, and offers students the chance to study towards the Advanced Placement as well as the IBDP. NJIS, located in north Jakarta, is another American-oriented international school. According to the ISC Market Intelligence Report 2015, most of Indonesia’s leading international schools are operating at, or near, full capacity, with little evidence of new developments. With demand for high-quality English-medium education – particularly from wealthy locals and an increasing number of South Koreans moving to the country – continuing to grow throughout Indonesia, relocating families are urged to plan well ahead to secure places at their school of choice.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196  |  Page 197  |  Page 198  |  Page 199  |  Page 200  |  Page 201  |  Page 202  |  Page 203  |  Page 204  |  Page 205  |  Page 206  |  Page 207  |  Page 208  |  Page 209  |  Page 210  |  Page 211  |  Page 212  |  Page 213  |  Page 214  |  Page 215  |  Page 216  |  Page 217  |  Page 218  |  Page 219  |  Page 220  |  Page 221  |  Page 222  |  Page 223  |  Page 224  |  Page 225  |  Page 226  |  Page 227  |  Page 228  |  Page 229  |  Page 230  |  Page 231  |  Page 232  |  Page 233  |  Page 234  |  Page 235  |  Page 236