Aid in Action

Putting the Fun Back in Fundamental:Decentralized Basic Education

Many Indonesian school children spend their school years memorizing facts by repeating what their teachers tell them

Banda Aceh | Monday, May 14, 2007

Mohammad Fahrizal likes to see his cousins whenever his family can afford the trip to Jakarta from Banda Aceh. “We talk about everything. Even school. But I feel sorry for them. They still sit alone at their desks and memorize everything. I tell them I can’t believe they still have to learn that way,” he says smiling. He says he cannot help but brag about his classroom.

Many Indonesian school children spend their school years memorizing facts by repeating what their teachers tell them: learning by rote, unchallenged and uninspired. But with the introduction of President Bush’s Indonesia Education Initiative in 2003, USAID/Indonesia’s Decentralized Basic Education Programs are improving the quality of basic education through training and technical assistance to improve education management and classroom teaching practice. The result is enhanced teaching and learning, which improves student performance in such fundamental subjects as math, science and reading. The results have been dramatic: student achievement scores in USAID-supported schools are on the rise and neither teachers nor students want to look back.

Mohammad Fahrizal’s classroom was one of those transformed. At his school in Darussalam, Banda Aceh; students sit together in groups of four, share ideas, plan approaches to projects and learn how to work together to solve challenges. Displays of student work and creative teaching material accompany an enthusiastic and inquisitive process of learning.  

School principal Rosmawardani has been impressed with the change in classroom atmosphere. “No longer is communication a one-way street. We have more teachers in the classroom – each teacher has an assistant – and the children are happy to come to school,” she explains. 

Ibu Yeti, one of the youngest teachers at the school, remembers the old days as much from her own education as from her few years of teaching. She speaks of the changes with the enthusiasm of one who is learning as much as her students. “We had less interaction before. It’s not good to see a class full of bored, unhappy faces in front of you. I see now it was not me the children were unhappy about. It was the schooling itself.”

Principal Rosmawardani admires how much more work student/teacher interaction involves and says she goes easy on her staff nowadays. “I don’t work them as hard. They work themselves hard now. They look tired at the end of the day, but they look happy.”

She glances around on classroom and sighs. “Of course, more work is being done now.  More work means more money being spent. Last week the auditor came to check our records and asked why we spend so much money on paper. I took him to a classroom and showed him. Everything is on the walls around here,” she says, proud of the brightly decorated room, with displays of student projects and papers. 

“These sorts of practices bring out the best in even a passive child, because the small group setting demands he interact with other children. And the teachers are on their feet all day, walking around the classroom, observing the children. It’s a drastic change,” she explains. “We see very clearly that the students are eager to study. Sometimes it’s hard getting them to go home, and we certainly do not have a problem with attendance.”

Voenna, Nadia, Effendi Imran and Mohammad Fahrizal are all fifth graders at the school in Darussalam. Each has taken awards in province-wide education contests this year. Says Mohammad: “Before we would sit and listen. Now we can do science experiments. Like the conduction of electricity. We used a steel wire for conduction. It sure got hot fast!”

Effendi loves all the new books in his classroom, and was runner up in the 2nd regional debating contest last year. “We like this group study, he says. “We help each other solve problems. We appreciate each other’s opinions. We train to be honest.”

Voenna adds “In order for others to understand me, I need to understand a problem. I’m not embarrassed anymore if I make a mistake.”

Nadia says she also brags about her classroom with friends and family. “My best friend still goes to an ‘old-fashioned’ school. ‘Oh, poor you!’ I tell her.”

Despite all the classroom innovation, one thing has not changed: devotion to religion. All the children say they want to grow up to be religious scholars. But in addition, Nadia, Mohammad and Effendi say they would like to be doctors.  Voenna considers her future seriously for a moment and then perks up: “Oh, I too would like to be a religious scholar,” she says, then chews her lip as she considers something else. Then she blushes a bit: “I’d like to be a religious scholar and a stewardess.”

Rosmawardani considers Voenna seriously for a moment, then smiles, albeit fleetingly. “Well,” she tells the star pupil, “that would be a first.”