There’s been a lot of hand-wringing in the Jakarta
Post lately about the dismal state of Indonesia’s schools
and the high failure rate of children taking exams. But there
are a few shafts of light in the darkness. One of the brightest
shines from the village of Mas, just south of Ubud.
Sekolah Bali Hati, an elementary school established to provide
a good education for children who couldn’t afford to
attend school, consistently produces Bali’s top scholars.
The first class to take the Sixth Grade National Graduation
Examination in 2006 ranked first in Ubud (over 80 schools)
and seventh in Gianyar. This year, the students of Bali Hati
school ranked first in the whole of Bali.
What was going on here? Intrigued, I visited the little school
to see for myself why these poor farmer’s kids are surging
ahead of their more privileged age group.
From the first moment of my arrival, I couldn’t help
comparing Bali Hati School to the elementary school next to
my house in Ubud. Instead of rows of desks, about 20 children
in each class sit around the teacher on the floor, share books
or work independently on projects. The work tables are gaily
painted and each room has corners dedicated to science, math
and other subjects. Instead of a bare room, there are shelves
spilling over with books, globes and colourful teaching aids.
The walls are bright with posters, diagrams and maps. A full-sized
human skeleton dangles in one corner. Instead of sitting in
rows chanting lines learned by rote, these kids move around
freely and are fully engaged with the project at hand, the
teachers and each other. The kids are bright, confident and
curious. There’s an energy in these classrooms that’s
hard to describe.
The school started with a single kindergarten class in 1999,
with a new class being added each year as the children grew
older. Bali Hati School now offers a playgroup, two kindergartens
and elementary grades one through six. The initial school
was built by the Bali Hati Foundation but as it continued
to grow, it became evident that more class rooms would be
needed to create a full elementary school. Nancy Dobbs, a
retired American who taught at bicultural schools in Latin
America, very generously built a new wing which includes a
library and general meeting room for the school, an office
and more classrooms. Nancy, who lives part of the year in
Ubud, also sponsors many of the children attending the school.
Each class is limited in size to 22 students and all classes
have two teachers. The school day is longer than is usual
in Bali, running from 8 to 2:30. Every class is bright, spotless
and full of interesting things to see and do. The spacious
library is also home to a bank of computers, which the children
start learning to use in first grade. Every child sits down
to a cooked lunch and no junk food is sold at the school.
There wasn’t a scrap of rubbish to be seen anywhere.
There are many receptacles for recycling paper and plastic
-- these children learn about waste management from kindergarten.
This was indeed a school after my own heart.
While following the government curriculum, the subjects are
taught using a modified Steiner and Montessori methods. The
school enriches its child-centred interactive learning model
with class projects, Balinese dance and muisic, public speaking,
cooking, arts and crafts, field trips and other extra-curricular
activities. The preschool program is completely bilingual
and the English/Indonesian program is being phased into all
classes this month at the request of the parents. The entire
school will be fully bilingual by 2010.
The top of the bookcase in the school office is crowded with
academic awards. The Principal, Pak Dadi Johandi, beams with
pride when pointing them out. “I love this school. It’s
like my home,” he smiles. He tells me that the school
usually ranks among the top three in Gianyar for English,
math, science, painting and spelling during educational competitions.
“We’re constantly striving to improve. Teachers
from other schools often come to observe how we do things
here.” He explains that besides ensuring that the children
have a strong grasp of academic subjects, the teachers build
on and support each child’s strengths in other areas.
“My goal was to create the best school in Bali,”
Nancy explains.“Now we’ve achieved that. But we’re
concerned about continuity for these children. Our Grade Six
graduates get top marks and are always accepted into Bali’s
best government high schools, but ideally we’d like
to be able to continue to offer an outstanding education through
high school. The students can then go on to universities all
over the world. So the next step is to raise money to build
a secondary school.” A donor has committed to purchasing
the land, and fundraising is now underway to cover building
costs. Major donors will be given naming rights to buildings
and sports facilities.
It’s hard not to be inspired by what’s going on
at Bali Hati School. This little centre of excellence offers
an exceptional opportunity for Balinese children to receive
a level of education usually only available at much more expensive
schools. The school in the rice fields is a place of learning
that celebrates not only the mind, but the heart as well.
Initially created for poor children, it now opens its doors
to all. At this point 83% of the children are attending the
school on scholarships according to their financial needs.
But in order to be sustainable, Bali Hati School needs more
full-paying students to help subsidize the others. The cost
of a two- semester year is Rp 7.6 million and there are currently
a few spaces in most classes. To enquire, please contact Pak
Dadi at balihatischool@balihati.org or call 742 1865.
The school needs English-speaking volunteers so the children
can hear native speakers with different accents. Please call
Pak Dadi if you might be interested in spending a few hours
a week speaking with the children of this remarkable school.
