Many expatriate parents opt for an international school rather than public education in Indonesia. The main concerns being the language of instruction and curriculum.
Mostly found in the larger cities, international pre-schools are generally run by people with a background in early childhood education and often have an internationally recognised name. These international franchises have facilities, a curriculum and training that is of an international standard.
Some pre-schools can be found which follow a British, American or Australian education structure. These international schools are more expensive than local schools as they have to pay a franchise fee.
The majority of international pre-schools claim to conduct their classes in English, however, with a mixture of students this isn’t always the case. Your child may also learn Indonesian at school, particularly if the teacher isn’t that fluent in English, though this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
International standard pre-schools can cost upto US$6,000 a year per child. Local Indonesian pre-schools (TKs) will be cheaper. Pre-schools which are affiliated with international schools may charge an additional Capital Levy as an entry requirement. This could be quite a large sum so you should double check the cost of admission and the yearly/monthly fees.
There are a number of large international schools in the capital, Jakarta.
For a full list of international schools in Jakarta follow the link.
While Jakarta is a hub for international schools, many have franchises outside the capital. Particularly in areas popular with expats such as Bali and Surabaya. Follow the link for more information .
These schools started appearing in the mid-nineties and are so called because they offer tuition that goes above the government recommended syllabus. Typically these schools offer some classes taught in English rather than Indonesian, they may have some native English speaking teachers on staff and offer the international Cambridge examinations or the International Baccalaureate.
National plus schools provide an alternative to the expensive international schools and some expat parents do opt for them. They are also popular with expats married to an Indonesian partner whose children may well be bi-lingual.
The Association of National Plus Schools - Bertaraf Internasional (ANPS-BI) is an independent association that offers support and accreditation for such schools. The Indonesian department of education also has a related accreditation category for those schools which offer an international standard of education. However, many schools who label themselves as national plus schools don’t hold accreditation from either entity.