News From Provinces

Page 8 

Central Java

Witnessing change in schools

At the end of January 2010, DBE3 Program Director Stuart Weston visited three districts in Central Java to meet district stakeholders and education personnel involved in the DBE3 program. He visited a number of junior secondary schools which have been implementing the DBE3 program. The schools visited included not only DBE3 partner schools but also a number of non partner schools. Some partner schools have been with DBE3 for three years, while others have only been with DBE3 for only one year. As for the non partner schools, they have been trained as part of program replication supported by DBE3 facilitators but with most of the costs of the training covered by local government or the schools themselves. You can read about his experiences when visiting SMPN 19 Purworejo on page three. Below, you can read about the other schools visited in Purworejo, Boyolali and Grobogan.

SMPN 41 Purworejo is located on the side of a mountain in Purworejo. The school in not a DBE3 partner school but has developed as a result of implementing DBE3 training and mentoring at its own cost. Pictures taken during the visit to SMPN 41 are shown on this page.

1. Bpk. Agus Wiwoho Surya, the school principal (left) is seen standing by a display of students’ work outside one of the classrooms. With him is pak Jamal, a school supervisor. Bpk. Agus is a DBE3 district and national facilitator. As a result, he is familiar with DBE3 programs and decided to implement them in his school even though it is not a DBE3 partner school.

2. The classroom environment has changed a great deal. Students are seated in a U-shape or in small groups to encourage student interaction. The students’ work is of very good quality and displayed inside and outside the classrooms.

3. During the visit to SMPN 41, one class went down to the river located about 200 meters from their school. They went there to learn about the ecosystem in and around the river.

Since pak Agus and the teachers have applied what they have learned from DBE3 training programs, student attendance has improved as has the support from the local community – before DBE3 the students and community showed a lack of interest in the school.

MTsN Sidomukti is one of DBE3 partner schools in Purworejo, which has implemented enthusiastically the results of the training.

1. Ibu Budi Sumarti, a Bahasa Indonesia teacher, assisting her students in writing poetry.

2. These students are making a cup of coffee at English class.

3. After making the coffee, they write down in English how to make a cup of coffee.

4. Teachers at MTsN Sidomukti receive a great deal of support and encouragement from the school principal, pak Pujimin (left) and the Chairman of the School Committee, Bpk Mahmud Abulais (right).

 Sharing Innovation in Junior Secondary Education

Edition 05/February 2010