How many foreigners have visited Ubud through the decades, fallen under its spell and settled down? How many have married and made beautiful babies beside those verdant rice terraces? Then the babies grow up, the carefree days are over and suddenly decisions have to be made about schooling. Twenty years ago the only option was Bali International School in Sanur. Today there are many other choices, but they are all a long drive south.
A growing population of foreigners, many in mixed marriages, have produced a new generation of kids in Ubud. These parents didn’t want to send their children on long commutes to schools in the south. They wanted a well-rounded, child-centred school offering a world-class education right in the neighbourhood, without having to pay world-class fees. So they created one.
Pelangi (Rainbow) School is a true community school. It was started by parents to meet the needs of children living in Ubud as an alternative to the rote-learning based local schools. Now in its third year, most of the early wrinkles have been ironed out and Pelangi School is powering ahead.
The Rainbow Children are a balanced mix of western, mixed and Indonesian kids learning together in a bilingual environment. Its levels include Playgroup, Kindergarten A and B, and Grades One through Six. Following the guidelines of the national Plus schools, Pelangi’s curriculum is based on the British system. In three years the school has grown from a handful of children in a temporary bamboo classroom in the rice fields to 80+ pupils in a modest six-room campus on 18 are of land.
Antonella, whose daughter is in Kindergarten at Pelangi, likes the combination of international curriculum and local delivery. “The teachers are very good, very professional,” she says. “They are sweet and gentle with the kids but also teach rules and discipline.
“We speak Italian and Indonesian at home and I don’t think it’s all that important to speak English at such an early age, but my daughter is already learning English at school, so that’s a bonus. I’ll definitely keep her there. She loves going to school and never wants to come home at the end of the day.”
Joanna, whose two children attend Pelangi, has been involved in all aspects of the school since it opened and now sits on its board. “ I believe Pelangi is the only true community school in Bali. It’s a great concept, allowing the parents to be involved on a day-to-day basis and sharing in decisions about their children’s education.”
For example, her son Dharma was in Kindergarten B six months ago but wasn’t doing well. Suspecting that he might need more stimulation, she and the teachers decided to move him into the mixed Grade One and Two class. He quickly learned to read and is already doing Grade Two arithmetic. “Socially and academically, he’s progressed well beyond my expectations,” states Joanna. “Technically he should still be in kindergarten, but our system allowed us to be flexible. And the small class size caters to individual levels of learning.”
Good teachers, a strong curriculum, rural ambience and competitive fees aside, it’s the Ubud location that appeals to many parents. “Sure, there are plenty of good schools in the south, but it would mean at least a 90 minute commute every day,” observes one mother. “The beauty of Pelangi is that it’s right in the neighbourhood. We’re not recruiting children from other areas because we want parents to be actively involved. We ARE the school.”
A core value of Pelangi is to train and retain excellent Indonesian teachers. Foreign teachers and advisors come and go, but it’s the Indonesian staff who will be the pillars a stable school in the years to come. Already highly competent and professional, the Indonesian teachers will continue to receive training in a wide variety of teaching methodologies.
Because Ubud is such a magnet for tourists, Pelangi offers a daily drop-in option for visiting children in Playgroup and Kindergarten. The visitors can spend up to two weeks at the school in a rich and stimulating environment while their parents enjoy Ubud and its environs.
Pelangi School also supports scholarship students from local families. This year, up to ten children will be sponsored with money raised at fundraising events, from donations and the proceeds from the Pelangi Shop, a second-hand store in Pengosekan. Some of the parents help by earmarking part of the profits from their businesses to the scholarships. Joanna, a jewellery designer, dedicates a percentage of the proceeds from one of her designs to this fund, and the shoppers who buy the piece are happy to know where the money is going. Last year, Rp 150,000,000 was raised for scholarships.
Everyone who visits Pelangi comments on how happy the children are. They work together and older children help the little ones. “It’s a pleasure to watch them,” says another parent. “They love learning and have a healthy curiosity about life.”
“I’m happy with this school because my child loves it and is doing well,” sums up Birgit. “And I’ve had the opportunity to help build it and watch it grow. I know it’s going to be a great school, perhaps a famous one.”
Pelangi has space available in most levels for next semester and is accepting applications now. For more information about Pelangi School (Yayasan Cahaya Pelangi), please visit www.pelangischoolbali.com or call Patty at 0361 8721530.
’Dragons in the Bath’, a collection of Ibu Kat’s stories, is now available in paperback from
* Kuta : The Bali Advertiser office
* Seminyak : Ganesha at Biku
* Ubud : Ganesha Books, KAFE, Threads of Life, Eve Body Treatment Centres
* Sanur : Dijon
