When The Best Public School Goes “International”

In Indonesia, school is an institution that has become part of our life. Without school, life is incomplete and seems far from good because without school people will think we are uneducated. There are two main kinds of school, public school and private school. These two main kinds of school are distinguished by their qualities according to the academic and non academic achievements, the students’ qualities including attitude and cognitive also the teachers’ capability. So that in my view there are three different school levels of each kinds. Either public school or private school is distinguished to be the top school, the second choice-school (middle) and the one which not qualified enough. From now on, I will only talk about the top public school.

Though I have never experienced studying in a school with real low fees, not because I am rich and I went to expensive school, but because when I started entering school, the government policy of educational world had successfully gone “exclusive” in fees, I still believe that public school has to be the answer of the slogan 'education for all', even this slogan existed in lawful constitution. But the fact goes far from the ideal concept, now any public school especially the top one, racing to be the “better” not only in its education but also in its price. The situation pushes the clever but poor students to get off competing for the best studying experience, because before even they hope to blossom, the registration fee and the regular fee have stopped their parents to support their wish although these parents really want to. Scholarships, grants and sort of things are actually existed, but the information will only be given to usually to them who has direct connection to anyone inside the institution. I don’t ignore the cleverness or capability of the students who get the access to have the scholarship and enter the best expensive school, otherwise it is unjustified for them who have no access directly to the institution. And mostly the scholarships are kept and gone expired with no use. This reason makes top public school with international face has no difference with international private school or the regular private school, which is only for students coming from wealthy family and economically in good condition.

Public school goes international also affects the standard of academic achievement for students which become very high and unreasonable. Keep aside the good purpose of making the standard of academic achievement very high and think about the impact towards students who become very close minded to only get good score at school so they can pass the standard and do not have to do remedial by doing anything including cheating, which actually is not what should be done by students. Because no matter what the teacher or anyone say about getting low score and understand a little is better than getting high score by cheating, the fact that score is the only thing determined the quality of the students according to regulation is obvious. When I said unreasonable standard of academic achievements, it is not a nonsense thing, because out of 100, the standard for any subjects at public international school nowadays has reached 85 averagely. Averagely means there are some subjects with higher standard and some others with lower standard. Imagine if you were among those students! If I were, I will not deny cheating when I am in trouble with a subject.

These two things may seem no longer unusual but still are things which should be thought for more by the regulation maker, by the government, by the educators to finally find the best solution to not aside the smart poor students (who actually have the same capabilities if they have chance) and to cut the line of instant minded from the young generation in Indonesia. Should we international in cover and boost the fee that it makes more great people but economically unfortunate aside from good education? Should we pump up the standard to be that high to boost the studying spirit of students nowadays but actually it is just making the instant mind comes first?

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I wrote this spontaneously when my sister was telling me about her worry of exam at school since the standards are mostly above 80! And there is subject reaching 89 for the standard. Bloody hell school! It was my school 5 years ago and my highest standard was only 72. And also, talking about tuition, there is a friend of her (my sister) who was avoiding this school since the very beginning though she is very smart and talented (but economically unfortunate). Then, another friend of her too who did the same because there was no support of her parents (again, because of economic reason) but finally was convinced to try and she is now the student of the school, but still she got some hard time socializing with other students who are found to be economically superb.