Participants of Tanoto Foundation’s PINTAR program recently showcased the results of their training during an exhibition held in Kendal, Central Java on July 31.

Organised by Tanoto Foundation in collaboration with the Kendal Regency government, the event saw the attendance of 26 partner public schools and Islamic schools, as well as Walisongo State Islamic University.

PINTAR (Promoting Improvement to Innovate, Teach and Reach) focuses on the implementation of active learning and improving school-based management, reading culture and community participation at partner schools.

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Belinda Tanoto, member of the Tanoto Foundation Board of Trustees, was among those present at the event. She said the good practices demonstrated by the participating schools is proof that the PINTAR training has been beneficial to them, and the schools will hopefully be able to inspire other schools to carry out similar good practices.

“I am very happy to see that the students are of high spirit – they’re very confident about displaying the learning outcomes they have gained in class and this is what we are expecting.

“We want children in Indonesia to be able to access quality education, as we believe quality education accelerates equal opportunity,” Belinda said.

At the event, students exhibited projects that showcased the active learning skills they have acquired from teachers using PINTAR’s MIKiR (Experiencing, Interaction, Communication and Reflection) learning method in the classroom.

One such project was a hydrostatic pressure experiment by students of SMPN 1 Bransong, who were observed to be adept at explaining to booth visitors that hydrostatic pressure is dependent on depth, gravitational force, liquid density and liquid type.

The increase in community participation at the partner schools was also a highlight of the exhibition, which showed how communities are lending support to school quality improvement programs such as through the provision of active learning needs or books to the schools.

Meanwhile, dr. Mirna Annisa, Regent of Kendal, expressed her appreciation to Tanoto Foundation for its implementation of relevant training which supports the creation of quality learning in Indonesia.

“Thanks to increasing concern by the private sector about education quality in Indonesia, I believe that human resources in Kendal and the country will be better and more advanced in the future,” Mirna said.

Tanoto Foundation recently had the opportunity to share its experiences in implementing programs which are in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during a national training session held on July 24 and 25 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Organised by the United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific (UCLG ASPAC) in collaboration with the Association of Indonesia Municipalities (APEKSI) and the European Union (EU), the aim of the training was to increase the capacity of local governments in implementing the SDGs nationally.

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This two-day training session was the second of its kind, following an inaugural event in 2018. This year’s training involved 30 local government officials from 16 provinces and 14 cities throughout Indonesia.

During the session, Tanoto Foundation showed how it focuses on developing and advocating programs, as well as fosters an environment which is conducive to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 SDGs.

Among this is its PINTAR program, through which the Foundation has established partnerships with 14 municipal and district governments in five provinces in Indonesia: North Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, Central Java and East Kalimantan.

These partnerships are formed as part of a collective effort to improve the quality of education in Indonesia. The PINTAR program trains and encourages school leaders, teachers and committees to improve school management, as well as learning and reading habits in schools.

“Based on our portfolio of Indonesia’s education system, we have determined it is one of the most complex systems in the world, involving more than 50 million students, 2.6 million teachers and 250,000 schools. We realise that collaboration with other parties is required if we want to improve the quality of education in Indonesia, which is in line with the SDGs principle that development is the shared responsibility of all stakeholders.

Tanoto Foundation therefore acts as a catalyst for partnerships, both with the government and the private sector, as well as other partners in developing and generating progressive ideas which will bring broader and deeper impact.”

Satrijo Tanudjojo, Global CEO of Tanoto Foundation.

Before November 2018, students who arrived early to school at Brangsong 1 Elementary School (SDN 01) in Kendal, Central Java would be seen running around and playing in the school yard before classes started.

But these days, you’ll see a different sight with students sitting in a neat row in the school yard and reading contentedly before lessons begin.

This is a result of the School Literacy Movement (Gerakan Literasi Sekolah, GLS) program that Siti Alfiah, the school principal, implemented in the school last year to improve reading culture at the school.

The School Literacy Movement program ensures that all elementary school students in Indonesia spend at least 15 full minutes of reading every day.

Siti Alfiah implemented the program at the school, after participating in a school management and literacy training session by Tanoto Foundation two months earlier.

The program was well-received by the students, who very quickly became used to reading books for 15 minutes before class, she said.

Siti Alfiah credits the program’s success to the shared vision that the school leaders, teachers, committees and parents share, following their participation in Tanoto Foundation’s training about school management, literacy and active learning methods.

The program has been supported with the construction of a reading area in the school yard and reading corners in classrooms, as well as donation of books from parents.

“It has been working well because we all understand the objective of this program, which is to improve the quality of schools and students in Indonesia. Another key to the success of this program is good communication between all the relevant parties,” she said.

The 15-minute reading program is in addition to the book reading activities which are already held at the school every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The younger students read out loud to improve language fluency and pronunciation, while students of higher grades will read quietly.

Besides achieving an increase in the students’ average scores in the Indonesian language subject, the school has also performed well in various competitions, such as the sub-district level National Student Arts Festival and Competition, where SDN 01 Brangsong emerged as the champions by winning seven golds, one silver and one bronze.

The school also collected 15 trophies at a district level Islamic subject competition, with several students advancing to the provincial level of the competition, which involved competing in poetry reading, storytelling and speech giving.

The reading program clearly has had a significant impact on improving the students’ literacy skills in the past half year and the school hopes to see continuous improvement, Siti Alfiah said.