Agata Ayu Gita may only be 21 years old and studying industrial engineering, but the soon-to-be-graduate already has plans to integrate the knowledge she gains through her degree with her passion – Indonesian arts – after she finishes school.

The Jakarta native, who prefers to be called Gita, is currently in her final year at the University of Indonesia in Depok, located in Indonesia’s West Java province.

“I’m studying industrial engineering, which is a really scientific and management-based course. But I really want to contribute towards showcasing Indonesia and Indonesian culture, more specifically, to the world.

“So in the future, I want to manage and help people start their own businesses which are related to the Indonesian arts which I love,” Gita shares.

Gita is one of many university scholars who are currently pursuing their undergraduate studies as recipients of education scholarships provided by Tanoto Foundation.

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She was also one of the scholars in attendance at the Tanoto Scholars Gathering 2017 event held recently at the Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) Complex in Pangkalan Kerinci, Sumatra.

“I think before you even become a Tanoto Foundation scholar or apply for a scholarship, you should have an understanding of their values.

“(By becoming a Tanoto scholar, you’re) joining a big community which has a vision to fight against poverty and inequality in Indonesia, primarily through education, empowerment and enhancement efforts,” she says.

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Gita says when she first considered applying for scholarships in her second year of university, she carried out a lot of research in determining which ones to apply for.

“I looked at a few of them and was immediately drawn to the one offered by Tanoto Foundation from the start.

“I saw that the organization offers training in batik-making as part of its community development programs (through corporate partner RAPP). I thought it was really great to see that they were facilitating connections between society and culture in such a way, and that batik-making can become a potential industry and means of livelihood.

“I realized that they were doing what I want to do, which is to work with people and promote Indonesian culture at the same time,” she says.

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Batik, in fact, is one of the Indonesian art forms that Gita is especially passionate about, having taken part in the Putri Batik Nusantara (Indonesian Batik Ambassador) Pageant in 2016.

Gita credits Tanoto Foundation for her participation in the competition as she was able to save some of the money she acquired through her scholarship and use it to fund her pageant preparation efforts.

“As it’s a pageant relevant to national batik ambassadorship, I was therefore investing in my dreams (of wanting to promote Indonesian culture as a career) by joining,” she explains.

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Gita won the talent portion of the competition by singing a traditional Javanese song – another one of her favourite forms of Indonesian art.

“So I would say that Tanoto Foundation is not only willing to support Indonesian students in terms of their education, but also towards their future dreams.

“It’s really great. When I was going through the interview (as part of the scholarship application process), I meant everything I said to the interviewers. I told them ‘this is where I want to go, and your support will be really valuable to me’.

“And Tanoto Foundation listened and it’s allowing me to go where I want to go. And for that, I’m really thankful,” she says.

Walking out of the room at the end of her scholarship interview, Stephanie Claudia Chrisdyana Tambunan was sure that it was over for her at that point.

“It was very hard for me – from the moment I walked in and tried to introduce myself at the start of my interview, I was experiencing discomfort due to my tongue,” Stephanie shares.

When Stephanie first applied for a Tanoto Foundation scholarship she was in perfect health, but just before the interview portion she was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a medical condition which results in partial facial paralysis.

“There was already so much drama to begin with when I first began applying for the scholarship,” she says.

“It’s not easy to fulfil the minimum requirements. Tanoto Foundation is a great scholarship, which makes the selection process hard – there’s so much competition that I actually struggled to get it,” she says.

Stephanie, 21, is a third-year agriculture student at the University of North Sumatra (Universitas Sumatera Utara) at the moment.

The Medan native shares that she was struck with Bell’s palsy about two weeks before her Tanoto scholarship interview.

As with most Bell ’s palsy cases, the exact cause of her temporary condition was unknown, but it affected Stephanie for a month, causing her face to droop and, more worryingly, affecting her ability to speak properly.

“Before the interview, I was so worried because I couldn’t pronounce some letters perfectly, such as ‘f’, ‘n’ and ‘p’. I feared that I would not be able to give my best during the interview.

“At the interview, my condition had improved a little but I still couldn’t speak properly. I was relying on non-verbal body language with lots of gestures! That’s definitely not a normal way to do an interview,” Stephanie laughs.

However, Stephanie attempted to remain confident and answered the questions as best she could.

“When I finished the interview, I thought I wasn’t going to get it (the scholarship). But Praise the Lord – fortunately I’m one of the luckiest girls because I became a Tanoto scholarship recipient.

“And the only word I can say about that is ‘wow’. It was a pleasant surprise,” she adds.

The Tanoto Scholar says that she first received the scholarship during her fifth semester at university.

“I really wanted this scholarship because besides the financial benefit and being able to help my parents, who will no longer need to pay for my education, it also equips us with soft skills such as public speaking when we get to participate in programs such as the Tanoto Scholars Gathering.

“And I really think that’s so important for us (future graduates) especially when we’ll be trying to get a good job,” Stephanie says.

Touching more on the Tanoto Scholars Gathering 2017, Stephanie expresses gratitude about being selected to participate.

“Tanoto Foundation is a good organisation and I think they’re really serious about developing us as future young leaders.

“It was a great opportunity for us to come and join this gathering, and I really enjoyed it. I got to meet famous people like Rio Haryanto and (member of Tanoto Foundation Board of Trustees) Anderson Tanoto. Those were special moments,” she recounts.

“Of course, I’m especially thankful to the scholarship interviewers! I’m so glad they are willing to give chances to people who might be undergoing something, and they understood my situation,” Stephanie says.

A teacher has a noble while at the same time challenging task of promoting the quality of education in Indonesia. To advance the quality of education, the first thing teachers should do is improve their own quality. The way to do it is by improving their understanding of the teaching methods and the process of evaluating their teaching.

Through Pelita Guru Mandiri program, Tanoto Foundation holds various training programs to improve teacher competence and quality, one of which is a post-training mentoring program for teachers. Post-training mentoring aims to ensure that the outcomes of the training can be maximally absorbed by teachers.

In October-November 2017 last, a mentoring program with Lesson Study approach was carried out for teachers in Kecamatan Tungkal Ulu, Kabupaten Tanjung Jabung Barat, Jambi. The concept of Lesson Study was originally developed in Japan.

Lesson Study is a professional development process undertaken by teachers by observing and testing learning practices on a regular basis. The purpose of Lesson Study is to increase effectiveness in teaching activities.

The Lesson Study practiced in Jambi consists of three stages: planning, observation, and reflection. These three stages are called “Plan”, “Do”, and “See” stages. At the Plan stage, teachers developed the learning plan. At the Do stage, a model teacher performs the teaching-learning activity based on the plan while other teachers make observations. At See stage, all teachers gather to assess the teaching-learning process that has been performed.

The participants enjoyed the Lesson Study approach practiced, although initially some of them felt less confident with this system because of being monitored while teaching. However, after going through it, this activity turned out to be enjoyable.

“It turns out that to be a model teacher is fun and not as scary as I have imagined. Mentoring such as this will make teachers’ work easier. I am more confident to teach now, “said Desti Eka Fitri, a model teacher from SDN 09 / V Pelabuhan Dagang, Kecamatan Tungkal Ulu, Kabupaten Tanjung Jabung Barat, Jambi.

The key to success of the Lesson Study approach is cooperation. Lessons developed together, teaching is observed together, and the results are reviewed together. In the evaluation using the Lesson Study approach in Kecamatan Tungkal Ulu, the participants participated actively, so that improvements could be done optimally.

This Lesson Study activity was attended by 16 teachers from eight schools in Kecamatan Tungkal Ulu which was carried out in turns. Each school hosted twice. Lesson Study has not only been held in Kecamatan Tungkal Ulu, but also in various schools in Kabupaten Tanjung Jabung Barat, Kabupaten Batanghari, and Kabupaten Tebo. More than 400 teachers in the three districts attended the Lesson Study program. This activity is expected to increase the capacity and competence of teachers in Jambi Province.

Written by Fitria Hima Mahligai, Tanoto Foundation Jambi