Raden Ajeng Kartini, noted pioneer in the area of education for women in Indonesia, realized more than a century ago that good quality education is the key to achieving a better life.

With that mindset, Kartini went on to establish a school for women in Jepara, Central Java of Indonesia, changing the course of education and women’s rights in Indonesia forever.

Kartini’s beliefs and ideas have been passed down for generations to the women of today. According to data from the Ministry of Education and Culture, there are currently 1.47 million female teachers (at the compulsory education levels in Indonesia), compared to one million male teachers in Indonesia.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhz_wTMHDNY/?taken-by=tanotoeducation
There is no doubt that these female teachers have followed in Kartini’s footsteps of becoming inspirational educators – and this is being proven by some of Tanoto Foundation’s female partner school teachers:

Peni Herma Wirda, teacher at 52/V Pematang Pauh Elementary School, Tungkal Ulu Village, Jambi

Peni is a role model to her students, applying teaching methods that make her students more excited about their lessons.

Thanks to the methods, her students are now more active in answering her questions in class. Students also speak up and are unafraid to ask questions if they are unclear about subject matter, and are overall able to better understand the lessons taught.

Peni obtained these methods by attending Tanoto Foundation’s Pelita Guru Mandiri Program in Tungkal Ulu in 2016.

Sulastri Yerni, teacher at 004 Bukit Agung Elementary School, Pangkalan Kerinci, Pelalawan, Riau

Following her participation in a Pelita Guru Mandiri training session held by Tanoto Foundation in Pangkalan Kerinci, Sulastri Yerni became a lot more confident at teaching, and now uses simple props such as pictures and cards in class which help her students to learn more effectively.

The creative teaching methods she acquired from the training were also useful when Sulastri took part in a Pancasila Science and Citizenship Education Teaching Competition.

The teaching methods acquired through the training have also led Sulastri to win two teaching competitions held by the Education Department of Riau and the University of Riau.

Rensianur, elementary school coordinator at Raja Garuda Mas, Besitang Village, North Sumatra

Leading a school that has been established since 1981 is not an easy feat. The job comes up with ups and downs, especially when the number of students enrolled at the school dropped by 30 per cent at one point.

However, Rensianur’s efforts towards running Raja Garuda Mas Elementary School – the school founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Mrs Tinah Bingei Tanoto – and advancing the school has never wavered.

Rensianur, together with the teachers at the school, have organized various programs such as carnivals, competitions and recreational events for the students. This has proved successful, with parents routinely being enticed to enroll their children at Raja Garuda Mas today.

Tanoto Foundation continues to run its teacher training program, with the aim of helping to improve overall teaching capacity in Indonesia.
The Foundation is currently partners with over 500 schools in Indonesia.

Tanoto Foundation has established a partnership with Ruangguru, a digital learning platform to help improve teaching quality. The partnership was announced during the Learning Innovation Summit 2018, which was held last month in Jakarta.

Ruangguru, which translates to ‘Teacher’s Room’, is a smartphone application comprising a learning platform with complete learning solutions. The content available includes learning materials for elementary, junior and high school levels, in line with the national curriculum.

Tanoto Foundation will be using the platform to distribute training modules to teachers, as part of the Foundation’s Pelita Guru Mandiri program. The said program aims to improve teachers’ capacities and competencies, including the ability to carry out fun and effective learning activities for students.

The collaboration is meant to expand the impact of the Pelita Guru Mandiri program, which Tanoto Foundation has run since 2010, training around 5,100 educators in Indonesia to date. This collaboration will run to 2019.

“Research from the Programme for International Students Assessment has shown that Indonesia is still behind other OECD countries, in terms of teacher quality. We need breakthroughs and collaboration to find a solution.

“The first would be collaboration between the private sector and the government. The second is by using technology,” said Sihol Aritonang, Head of the Executive Board of Tanoto Foundation, during the Learning Innovation Summit 2018 event.

All teachers can download the Ruangguru application and visit the ‘Ruangbelajar’ section to access training modules for free.

Creativity can actually start in simple things. This was demonstrated in the Pelita Guru Mandiri (PGM) Roll Out training held at SDN 004 Pelalawan, Kecamatan Pelalawan, Kabupaten Pelalawan, Riau Province by Tanoto Foundation.

Through the Pelita Guru Mandiri program, Tanoto Foundation holds various trainings for teachers in an effort to improve their competence and capacity.

The roll out training is a continuation program of the previous PGM activity, namely Training of Trainer. “Before attending Pelita Guru Mandiri training from Tanoto Foundation, I never imagined that I would make simple learning tools.

After I practiced to make one myself, it turned out to be not too difficult and could utilize simple materials available in our surroundings, “said Mrs. Erliza, a teacher of Bernas Elementary School, Kecamatan Pangkalan Kerinci, Kabupaten Pelalawan, Riau.

In this training, teachers demonstrated that they quickly absorbed the concept explained to them. They could create simple teaching media. Some teachers even used very simple tools in teaching the lessons.

One of these very simple tools can be created by utilizing the angles of a ceramic floor tile to teach numbers and distances. This is a simple but very useful way because it facilitates the pupils’ understanding and can be done while playing.

The PGM Roll Out Training also discusses Project Approach-based teaching method. This teaching method can help the teachers in creating simple researches to be conducted by the students.

A teacher can invite the students to determine a simple research topic from around the school. At the end of the session, the students will be asked to conclude the observation. This method allows the students to think more critically, which can even become the basis for further scientific researches.