1. || supplement friday October 10, 2014 20
hospitality
“I
’m very happy that our
school has been chosen
to feel the benefits of
the School Development
Program. As it has diminished the
gap between teachers and students,
making the students feel involved in
the learning process,”said Syafi’i, who is
the principal of SMPN 1 Gayam, one of
the school beneficiaries of ExxonMobil
Cepu Limited (EMCL) education
initiative program.
Students are Indonesia’s most
promising resource and the key to
Indonesia’s future. In order to support
that, a quality education, ranging from
proper infrastructure facilities to well-
trained teachers are needed.
ExxonMobilbelievesthateducation
isadrivingforceinachievingprogress,
developmentandeconomicgrowth.
Itsgoalistogivethestudentsthe
opportunitytobecometomorrow’s
leaders.Oneofitsendeavorsin
educationinitiativesrevolvesaroundthe
enhancementofthelearningprocess.
ExxonMobil Cepu Limited has
taken tangible action as part of its
commitment to education and the
empowerment of local communities
in its areas of operation.Things began
taking a turn for SMPN 1 Gayam and
other schools in Bojonegoro andTuban
earlier this year.
In March, EMCL announced a
US$1.9 million grant to support an
education development program in
these two regencies, near its Banyu
Urip operational areas.This School
Development Program (SDP) is wholly
contributed to by the ExxonMobil
Foundation.
In partnership with the Putera
Sampoerna Foundation (PSF), the
focus of the program is to improve
the quality of teachers, school
management and governance, as well
as to establish school committees.
The School Development Program
covers several aspects. Each program is
developed through different strategies
and activities. It focuses on whole-
school development and a continuous
improvement of school targets.
The SDP is also designed to ensure
ExxonMobilempowers
BojonegoroandTuban
througheducation
the sustainability and impact of the
Banyu Urip project to the neighboring
communities.
The program will be applied to six
secondary schools in Bojonegoro and
Tuban for three years that will directly
benefit more than 250 secondary
school teachers, with students being
indirect beneficiaries of the SDP.
The main activities involve
workshops, mentoring, coaching,
refurbishment, advocacy, monitoring
and evaluation.The SDP consists of
multiphase programs that include
assessments, programs to enhance
teacher professionalism and ones
to empower school community
participation.
In Bojonegoro regency, the SDP
is helping state senior high school
(SMAN) 1 Kalitidu, state junior high
school (SPMN) 1 Gayam, SMPN 1
Purwosari and state vocational school
(SMKN) 1 Purwosari. InTuban, the
program is aimed at SMPN 1 Palang
and SMAN 1 Soko.
Each of these six schools is getting
aid programs covering teacher
trainings and infrastructure in the
form of a laboratory, library and toilet
facilities. Aside from the targeted six
schools, the program has also applied
teacher trainings that give benefits to
teachers from six additional schools in
Bojonegoro andTuban.
All of these goals are part of the
program’s mission of helping the
schools to exceed the eight national
standards of education. According
to Hanafi, the head of Bojonegoro’s
district education office, the program
runs very much in line with the
education agency goals.
“Developing facilities for education
like labs, libraries and teacher quality
are national education priorities,”
Hanafi said.“When teachers have
enthusiasm outside of the classroom,
it can hopefully generate quality
students. It has to be supported by
meaningful infrastructure.That’s why
I say that EMCL’s SDP program is very
relevant for national education.
Numerous improvements
Community feedback for the SDP
thus far has been overwhelmingly
positive. According to Syafi’i, the school
has seen numerous improvements thus
far as a result of the SDP.“What we can
see as most apparent is the way student
seating arrangements have changed.
They are now in a U-shape, compared
to the old theater-style seating system.
Students now are more attended to
by each teacher. Each teacher also has
applied a system of teaching that is
based on discussions with students,
involving them in the learning process.”
Another representative of SMPN 1
Gayam speaking out in praise of the
changes that EMCL’s SDP program has
brought about was Rumadi, the chief
of SMPN 1 Gayam’s school committee.
Like Syafi’i, Rumadi said that students
had become more open and active
when it came to learning.They have
become far more enthusiastic in
welcoming learning activities.
“You can see changes in the
improved school facilities, such as
the library, the new and complete
laboratory and the clean school toilet.
The school management has also
become much more communicative
with us when it comes to the teaching
and learning process at school,”Rumadi
said.
By the end of the SDP, the targeted
schools will have implemented the
2013 Curriculum through a thematic
and scientific approach that creates
a learning process which is active,
creative and effective, as well as fun.
The hope is also that schools and
school communities will have better
relations by the end of the project. By
establishing these model schools, the
program is expected to inspire other
schools to improve their quality and
performance.
“We are proud to be working with
Putera Sampoerna Foundation on
this important program,”said Jon M.
Gibbs, president of EMCL.“By working
together with the local communities
and local government, we continue to
help improve the quality of life in the
areas where we operate.”
EMCL is the operator of Cepu
Block based on Production
Sharing Contracts (PSC) under
the supervision and control of
Special Task Force for Upstream
Oil and Gas Business Activities
(SKK Migas). Banyu Urip project is
a partnership of EMCL together
with Cepu Block partners, PT
Pertamina EP Cepu and four Local
Government companies together
constituted the Contractor under
the Cepu PSC.
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Teachers from Bojonegoro andTuban experiencing the fun training method.
Various training subjects are provided to improve teachers’quality.
Active group participation as one
of the training’s activity.