I want my children to go to this kind of school

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Parents and community members are more willing to support a school from having full knowledge about the school's resources.

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Years and years ago, when I was still in school, the interaction my parents had with the school was only during report card day, and perhaps the odd times I got into trouble. That was it. Although my son is only a year and a half old, I’ve been on the lookout for a school and I would rather not have him study at the type of school I went to.

After visiting elementary school 01 Cibuluh in Bogor, I may have found it. I like how this elementary school implements school-based management – a concept where schools have more authority to manage their resources and learning activities but still adhere to the national curriculum.

Schools in Indonesia have implemented school-based management with varying degrees of success, but the school in Bogor has managed it well to help improve students’ performances.

Since this school has more authority in managing its resources, transparency is a must, and the school has done it very well. Financial reports are routinely updated on an information board, plus sent to parents and members of the school committee.

The principal, teachers, parents, and community members, sitting down together discussing the school's plan - a nice sight!

Having a strong school committee is perhaps the most compelling reason why this school has succeeded. Through the committee, parents and community members are involved in the school's decision making process, ranging from school trips, planning the school’s budget, even selecting new students. This school has gone one step further by establishing class committees to discuss smaller issues, such as purchasing a fan.

From talking to committee members I found that transparency and the fact that the school ensured their opinions mattered were reasons why the school committee is so active.

I was impressed how the school committee once confronted the media who thought the school had forced parents to pay for the construction of a new classroom. It was actually an initiative from the committee who did not want some students to study in the afternoon due to limited classrooms.

With more authority to manage learning activities, teachers are encouraged to be innovative. Various methods have been used so students enjoy learning. Students now race to come early to pickup limited question papers and win stars. A short trip to shops across the street helps students understand the difference between imported and exported goods. Parents are also involved. A parent who experienced the tsunami in Aceh came during science class to help explain about natural disasters.

I don’t need my son to go to a fancy school, studying inside air conditioned classrooms. I would like him to study at a school where as a parent I am well informed and have a say on the school’s activities and how it uses resources. I would like the teachers to be creative to make him enjoy learning.

If it takes a village to raise a child, school-based management might just be another form. Now wouldn’t you want your children to go to this kind of school too?

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Nugroho Nurdikiawan Sunjoyo
September 15, 2011

Thanks for your interest. Indonesia has more than 250,000 schools, and the Ministry of National Education has introduced school based management concepts to all schools through the national school operations grants program, which is also supported by the World Bank. That said, monitoring systems to measure the spread of SBM practices are still being developed, so we can't compare student performance in the way you suggest. But recent OECD/PISA data shows us that there is a positive correlation between school autonomy and accountability (in other words, SBM) and student performance on the PISA test.
We will be bringing out more information and analysis on SBM in Indonesia over the coming months, including this new working paper: http://go.worldbank.org/8C0MN1IC10

Please keep an eye on our Indonesia education webpage: http://www.worldbank.org/id/edu

Anonymous
September 14, 2011

Thank you for your post. Could you provide any national statistics that could put the performance of this school into a broader context? Such as (i) how many schools are there in Indonesia, and how many are operated on a "school-based management" basis? (ii) does Indonesia track performance in math, reading, etc, and if so how do the students in "school-based management" institutions compare to those in traditional schools?
Again thank you for this thought-provoking piece. I look forward to more information on the topic.

Rosa María Torres
October 18, 2011

My answer: No. This is not the school I would dream of for my own children. School-based management is indeed a step forward in many respects vis a vis the most traditional school systems. However, in this case - as seen in the videos - pedagogy remains unchanged. Rote learning is not something that changes automatically with renewed and more democratic management models. It requires specific and sustained efforts. A new pedagogy is essential in defining an ideal school in any context and culture.

Regards, from Ecuador.

Rosa Maria Torres

Nugroho Nurdikiawan Sunjoyo
October 28, 2011

Thanks for your comment. This school has actually started to depart from the rote learning of old, although as you have spotted, more can still be done.

Helen Pilkinton
July 02, 2015

Very interesting to read about this World Bank Project in education. Glad to know that you are involved in promoting such projects still.