2. Education for all; Private
schools for all income
levels
An insight into SIS‟ sustainable and
scalable schools in Indonesia
3. Presentation agenda
Insight into Indonesia‟s education sector
Insight into SIS; present/future
Insight into the impact IFC had on SIS
Further role IFC can play
Q&A
4. Indonesia
Startling statistics: General
Largest school age population in the world
Lowest Government spending on education
& highest drop-outs in S.E Asia (behind
Laos and Vietnam)
30% of 12-15 year olds make it to
secondary schools
After the financial crisis in Asia, 40,000
dropped out of elementary schools
Schools riddled with corruption
5. Indonesia
Startling statistics: Teachers
50% primary & 63% secondary school
teachers -minimum qualifications
Teachers low motivation. 80% take on
other jobs. Absenteeism. Little/No training
Poor teaching methodologies; rote
learning, little development of critical
thinking skills
Need 500,000 trained teachers
6. Education Standards in
Asia 3.09
3.19
3.50
3.96
4.24
4.27
4.41
4.72
5.47
5.96
6.21
6.56
- 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0
Indonesia
Vietnam
Thailand
Philippines
Hong Kong
Malaysia
China
India
Taiwan
Japan
Singapore
South Korea
The following graph illustrates that Indonesia is ranked as having the poorest quality
education system of the 12 Asian countries surveyed:
0 being best and 10 being worst
(Source: HK based PERC survey 2001)
7. Consequences
- Poor foundation in early years in Maths and Science or a command of a working
language reduces opportunity to enjoy higher education
- Growing pool of unskilled students and no confidence (44% in a 2001 World bank
survey said student achievement in schools have decreased after financial crisis)
- Investments head to higher learning institutions
- Those who can afford move out of provinces/go overseas creating economic woes
- Brain drain (not coming back)
- Domino effect – physically handicapped ignored
- “Prey institutions” flourish = radical religious schools
start to mushroom
8. Type of Schools
International Schools
“undeclared” 30% cap on
Indonesians students
Religious Schools – Islamic and
Christian
National Schools – Public/State schools
National Plus Schools
“ Private schools”
9. Insight into Public and Private
schools
2.25 million private pre-schools VS 28,000
pre-schools
1.9 million private elementary schools + 3
million Islamic elementary schools VS 24
million public elementary schools
10. Insight into Public and Private
schools
Growing upper and middle income class prefer private schools
Lower income prefer private schools; 85% of the low income attend
Islamic schools (privately run); enrollment up 7% a year
20% of all Indonesian school children attend madrasahs
Mushrooming of private schools; Cheap private schools schools no
guarantee on quality. Fertile ground for radical religious schools aiming
lower income groups
11. Government’s Response
Simplify and standardize national curriculum
(competency based) BUT implementation so
hampered by lack of training and
supervision
Central government‟s transfer of authority
for national education to regional
government BUT patchy and confused (who
is responsible for training)….local budgets
more for immediate impact programs
Work with international sponsors, donor
communities, agencies and institutions like
ADB, WB, IFC etc BUT these institutions
have their concerns and limitations
Promote and encourage private sector
participation in education in Indonesia
12. Concerns of Development Banks,
Donor Community & Aid Agencies
Schools be freed from corruption for max returns on loans &
aid grants?
Pte schools for middle and upper income; Supervision? R&D
for improvement? Quality?
Pte schools for lower income; Sustainable? Scalable?
Teacher training; Usual route; improve quality by spending
millions on teacher training only to be put back into same
rigid structure. Teachers go back to preferred systems once aid
missions move on
13. Private sector’s hand in education; reality
Religious schools; Mushrooming. Fertile
ground for radical teaching
National Plus Schools;
Education has become a business
Owners (dubious, money laundering,
no long term vision)
Teacher hijacking and unethical
marketing practices
No independent checks
14. Singapore International School
(Indonesia)
The Background
Founded in 1996
Assisted by H.E Edward Lee, then-Singapore‟s
Ambassador to Indonesia
Encouragement from then-Deputy Prime Minister of
Singapore, Dr Tony Tan and then-Singapore‟s
Minister of Education Teo Chee Hean
Set up by educationists from Singapore‟s premier
school Raffles Institution (RI)….Secondment of Vice-
Principal from RI to SIS.
15. Singapore International School
(Indonesia)
The Background
School in N. Jakarta (20 students).
Singapore embassy helped to raise grants. Moved to South.
Muscled out
Moved again to Bona Vista complex, struggling real estate.
Finished off un-finished club-house and moved in 2002 (250
students)
Now more than 400 students from 35 different nationalities in a
modern campus & Brought Life to the Real estate
17. Singapore International School
(Indonesia)
More than 300 Indonesian students on waiting list for SIS (30%
cap)
Indonesian students already in SIS struggled because of
background and language
Decision: 2 pilot schools for Indonesian students; Kebun Jeruk
and Kelapa Gading - under SIS umbrella but called “Singapore
Indonesian School”
Spent 18 months on two pilot schools; Kelapa Gading and
Kebun Jeruk (both in Jakarta)
Researched, designed and developed a unique SIS curriculum
(modeled after the Singapore curriculum)
20. Singapore International School
(Indonesia)
Results: Excellent. Student performance improved
dramatically
Approached World Bank who linked us to the
International Finance Corporation (member of the
World Bank Group)
Due diligence of schools, systems, curriculum,
standards, philosophies and background
IFC/World Bank agreed to support SIS to bring
quality education to Indonesia
Roll-out schools (2003) in upper and middle income
catchment areas
Loans from IFC(member of World Bank group)/Commercial
banks
Pure management using SIS brand name
21. IFC Press release
IFC’s Supports School in First Indonesian Education Loan
Jakarta, June 23, 2004—The International Finance Corporation, the private
sector arm of the World Bank Group, today agreed to provide loans to
support three new pre-primary, primary, and secondary National Plus (NP)
schools and one existing school in major cities on Java and Sumatra
islands. The project will construct two new NP schools and open another
on leased premises. The loan will also support the expansion of the
Singapore International School (SIS) in Jakarta.
…….. “This project will extend access to high-quality primary and secondary
education in Indonesia. It will provide direct benefits to students while
providing a model for educators and teachers that can be used nationally to
further expand educational opportunity” said IFC East Asia Regional
Director Javed Hamid.
………………The project is sponsored by the founders of SIS, which provides
high-quality education modeled after the Singaporean curriculum. The
school has grown gradually to about 400 students from kindergarten through
the first year of secondary school. It occupies leased premises in the
Jakarta neighborhood of Bona Vista.
Guy Ellena, IFC Director for Health and Education, said, “This project will
provide a good education for students, and also provide teacher training,
curriculum development and advanced educational methods that will
ultimately benefit surrounding communities and Indonesia as whole.”
22. IFC (member of the World Bank Group) Senior Investment Staff and Education Experts
Visit SIS schools
23. Re-branding Exercise
SIS - Singapore International School
Different license (International School)
SIS - Singapore Indonesian School (for growing middle-upper
income group)
Different license (National Plus School)
• “We do not like the word Indonesian in your school!”
REBRANDING EXERCISE
SIS - Singapore School (the silent „I‟)
like…….
SIA - Singapore Airlines
25. LOCATIONS:
8 campuses – Jakarta: South (Bona Vista),
North-West (Kebun Jeruk), North-East (Kelapa
Gading), North (Pantai Indah Kapuk), Cilegon,
Medan, Semarang and Bandung
Student population: Almost 3,000 students.
Teachers almost 300 expats and almost same
number locals
SIS present aim: 1 iconic SIS school in each of
the Indonesian provinces - 33!
41. Our Program
Nursery, Pre-School (Kindergarten), Primary
(Grade 1-6), Secondary (Grades 7-10), Pre-
University (Grades 11-12)
International Cambridge examinations at Pr 6
(Gr 6), Sec 2 (Gr 8), Sec 4 (Gr 10), Pre-
University 2 (Gr 12 for entrance to
Universities)
42. SIS
Essential qualities of a SIS student
Respect for the host or home country and the family
unit
Willingness to serve the interest of the larger
community
High regard and thirst for a holistic education
Understanding and embracing the Information
Technology (IT) around us
Personal integrity and discipline
Appreciation of a multicultural and multi-religious
world
Appreciation of the environment within which we live
73. SIS
Management and Control
…….we are not a franchise
Same Board of Governors and Board of Directors providing
common vision and policies
Same quality educationists with international teaching
experience with career path for teachers
Common Examinations, policies and systems
Network that allows sharing (eg.Successful teaching
approaches, Concerns, Meeting minutes etc.)
Monthly SIS-wide meetings (Board with Principals, Principals
and Vice-Principals, Dept Heads, Administrators)
Systems that groom leaders
Common calendar of events
Good governance and security
74.
75. SIS
Management and Control
In-House Consultants
External Consultants (Professor
Gopinathan from NIE)
Technical Assistance (RI, IFC)
76. SIS
Controls and Appraisals
Independent Appraisals
2002- (0nce every 4 years) SIS Whole school Appraisal - a 6-
month appraisal, senior members of NIE concluded:
“SIS is indeed comparable to the top schools in Singapore in terms of
teaching standards and pupil‟s performance”
2006 - (Yearly) SIS Subject Appraisal - Independent appraisal of the
Chinese Language department (conducted by Dr Chua Chee Lay (NIE
sub-Dean and tutor of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Mr Lee Choi Lan (NIE) and
Madam Wong Lee Er (mandarin teacher trainer from Singapore)
“SIS standards same as some of the top schools in Singapore…high
standards of Chinese.”
81. ENGLISH
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Very Poor Poor Low
Average
High
Average
Very Good Excellent
Score Category
Frequency
Our school performed
exceptionally well in English. 97%
of the students achieved scores
that fell in the ‘High Average’
category and above.
English:
84. Mathematics- Overall
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
very poor poor OK, but
below
average
good
(about
average)
very good excellent
Score Category
Frequency
In Mathematics we did exceptionally
well (5.1).
Nearly 90% of our students received
‘above average’ scores; (20%)
achieved the highest possible score
of 6, meaning they scored higher
than more than 90% of candidates
worldwide.
We are therefore encouraged that
our approach to Mathematics for
both English and ESOL students is
good.
Mathematics:
85. CONGRATULATIONS to:
Nursyafiqah bte M. Ikhbal (Singaporean)
Hyoe Hyun Choi (Korean)
Fernando Yaputra (Indonesian)
Da Sol Lee (Korean)
Victor Brebenar (Romanian)
….. for a perfect score in Mathematics in the Cambridge Secondary 2 International Checkpoint
Examination conducted by Cambridge, UK.
The average score of our Secondary 2 students ranked SIS amongst the top in the world in
Mathematics.
Students who were in SIS for more than 2 years also performed above expectations in English
and Science.
Our Students performed exceptionally well in Mathematics. More than 90%
were above the Cambridge ‘Mean Rank or Better’ mark. Out of this group,
40% achieved ‘Very Good Rank’ mark and 46% achieved the ‘Excellent
Rank’ mark.
For English more than 80% of our students were above the ‘Mean Rank or Better’ mark. Out of this group
23% achieved ‘Very Good Rank’ mark.
In Science their achievement was equally encouraging. 89% were above ‘Mean Rank or Better’ mark. Out
of this group 34% achieved ‘Very Good Rank’ mark.
We are proud of each and every one of them and use this opportunity to extend our Congratulations!
KOMPAS and
The Jakarta Post
(November 15, 2005)
86. Plus SIS Bandung in 2007 -
Almost 3000 students!
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
BV KG PIK Mdn Smg Cil KJ
Students
87. SIS “Halfees fees” project;
a vision reaching reality
Jak Int‟l School/Brit Int‟l School (embassy started schools) -
US$15,000 (Caucasian teachers with massively impressive
facilities)
Schools upper and middle income groups
SIS BV - US$8000 (Mixed expats with impressive facilities)
SIS PIK/KG/KJ - US$4000-5000 (Majority Filipino with facilities)
SIS Medan, Semarang - US$2700-3000
These are proven sustainable and scalable models!!
Target is one school with appropriate fees in each
Indonesian Province for growing upper and middle
income level
88. SIS “Halfees fees” project;
a vision reaching reality
Next Phase: Schools for lower income groups
SIS ? (US$1500-1000 with modest facilities) - Local
teachers, different market - different SIS brand name
SIS ? (US$1000-500) with modest facilities) - the
ultimate aim, different market - different SIS brand
name
How?; Same way we did the National Plus schools
3 Pilot schools; focus on curriculum,
social and cultural issues
Under the SIS umbrella; credibility,
control, supervision, training and R&D
Sustainable and scalable; using local trained (SIS) teachers
When?
89. The Future
Permanent location for Singapore International School
(R&D and operational hub)
Permanent location for SIS Medan & SIS KJ
Continue to roll-out schools for upper and middle
income
Launch pilot schools for lower income; roll-out
thereafter (different brand name but under the SIS
umbrella and supervision)
Offer SIS infra-structure in a public-private initiative for
teacher training; 1-1 mentor scheme (Consumer: SIS
lower income schools + national schools)
90. SIS-Medan; Insight
SIS Medan - 500 students to move to new
campus
Problems; Low fees (US$2500), Tsunami
aftermath (Lost land), Construction prices up,
Location of new land 20 mins away
Solutions; Did not draw down as fees were
slowly increased while maintaining standards,
Land Equity, Gradual Fees increase of fees
(US$2500 to US$2700 to US$3000)
91. SIS-IFC partnership;
Immediate Impact
SIS BV - US$1 million; infra-structure upgrading, allowing the
release of funds for R&D development National Plus Schools
Immediate Impact - 8 Nat Plus Schools rolled out with 3000
students
– Total of US$45million a year remains in Indonesia,
otherwise students would be in Singapore
(US$15,000 per student)
– Credibility
– Prevent Brain-drain to some extent
– Allowed us to position BV as the anchor of the Nat
Plus Schools
– Concerns for BV - Rent, Facilities, Construction next
door
92. SIS-IFC partnership; Long
Term Impact
Long term impact
• Impetus for 33 Nat Plus Schools planned for
upper and middle income groups (one in each
province)
• Impetus for next phase of Halfees Project ;
schools for lower income
• Impetus of public-private teacher training
initiative
93. Role IFC can play
Engage seriously to help Indonesian‟s education sector; shocking statistics
shown earlier will only get worse
Consider a strategic partnership to help us fulfil the “one school in each
province” vision; law supports this. Branch objectives; Potential enormous
(1-2 adoption)
Software; R&D; Curriculum development and teacher training
Support SIS schools where commercial banks shy away (lower fees)
Look at schools with a different eye (interest rates, strict collateral stand,
legal fees)
Continue to provide technical assistance (annual visits very useful).
Investment officer/education expert & local Jkt office extremely helpful
Introduce other agencies/financial instruments to our Halfees and public-
private teacher training project
Publicity
94. SIS .…our strengths
Track-record (market leader in Indonesia)
Credibility (IFC partner, Salim Group, Sinar
Mas, Gleneagles Medan, NISP as lenders, etc)
SIS tested systems in place providing fair
returns to investors and lenders
Ability to mobilize people, experts (NIE, RI,
STU, international educationists, etc)
95. SIS .…our strengths
Grasped educational psyche of the growing upper
and middle class niche in developing countries
A valuable arm to the less fortunate and government
with our infra-structure and management expertise
Only organization in Indonesia that provides
sustainable and scalable models for formal schooling
at various income levels through well thought of
step-by-step approach
