TEACHER PROFESSIONAL LEAVE CASE STUDY 2009

Robyn Elmi
Weeroona College Bendigo
Phone: (03) 5443 2133
Email: weeeroona.co@edumail.vic.gov.au
Prep – Year 10

Creating Authentic LOTE Learning Opportunities: the sister-school experience

Abstract:
This project provided students with authentic learning opportunities to improve their engagement with LOTE Indonesian, improve their language skills and boost their cultural awareness through the development of a sister-school relationship. The project drew together teachers and students from different learning areas, to ensure a broad cross-section of teachers and students perceived learning a LOTE as relevant, exciting and real


Welcoming ceremony, SMAN 4 Tangsel, Banten Province, Java. April 2009.

Key Words:
LOTE, language skills, authentic learning opportunities , cultural awareness, integrated projects, student engagement.

Introduction:
This case study provides some background and guidelines to the establishment of a sister-school relationship with a school in Indonesia. It details the authentic learning opportunities that resulted for the staff and students from both of the schools involved.

In April 2009, Weeroona College Bendigo formally established a sister-school relationship with SMAN 2 Ciputat (recently renamed SMAN 4 Tangerang Selatan or Tangsel), in Banten Province, West Java. It is approximately 1 ½ hour’s drive from the capital city of Jakarta.

Learning any LOTE presents a challenge for many regional Australian students and their teachers. Most of the staff and students have not been exposed to other languages and cultures in their day-to-day life and they struggle to understand its relevance in their own world. Compounding these obvious problems for the Indonesian language teacher is the perceived threat of terrorism, natural disasters and political upheaval linked to their target country.

Every year most LOTE teachers face that agonising struggle to attract students who want to study LOTE, and the number of students studying LOTE to VCE level has continued to dwindle.
In 2005, I had the most rewarding and profound teaching experience of my career: organising an in-country tour to Malaysia with my Year 10 students (we were not able to travel to Indonesia because of the prevailing travel warnings). Every experience was new, exciting and real – it was one of those times when I knew that I had instilled in my students a passion for life-long learning – the ultimate goal of many teachers. Of course many of our students cannot afford the luxury of travel and I was keen to bring more of these authentic and exciting experiences into my classroom. The establishment of a sister-school relationship, as well as organising and promoting authentic learning opportunities, helped to fulfill these goals.

The other driving force behind this project was the growing political support for teaching languages, which I learned about through LOTE professional development training days and professional reading. There is now more political and educational support for teaching Asian languages in the form of the Melbourne Declaration, The Australia – Indonesia BRIDGE Project, the release of the DVD ‘2020 Schools: Engage with Asia’, and grants which are now more readily available. In the past few years, this groundswell of political support has been increasingly on public record:

“Australia has to make itself the most Asia-literate
country in the collective West.”
The Hon. Kevin Rudd MP, Prime Minister of Australia in Asia Society, June 2008

“...the Australian Government recognises the vital importance of equipping young Australians with the knowledge and skills to communicate and work with our regional neighbours...”.
The Hon. Julia Gillard MP, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Education, Employment & Workplace Relations and Social Inclusion in Asialink, February 2008.

But the sad current reality in our school is that the majority of our students are not choosing to study a LOTE. My school struggles every year to sustain a Year 10 LOTE class. This year I am teaching a composite Year 9/10 class because of the small number of students electing to study LOTE Indonesian. In contrast to these poor outcomes, many of our Asian counterparts sustain strong bilingual programs from the early years through to Year 12. In our sister school, the study of English is compulsory to Year 12.

Regional Australia can no longer afford to ignore the very real need for educating competent global citizens, which means a strong understanding of other cultures and their languages. By strengthening our relationship with our Asian neighbours and allowing our students to forge friendships and ongoing communication with their Indonesian counterparts, Weeroona College Bendigo is working towards educating global citizens and life-long learners.

Indonesia Climate Change Scheme

Kerjasama Weeroona Secondary College dan SMA Negeri 4 Tangsel

Kerjasama antara WSC dan SMA Negeri 4 Tangsel mencapai tahapan formal. Hal ini terwujud dengan adanya kunjungan balasan dari SMA Negeri 4 Tangsel ke WSC pada bulan Agustus 2009. Dalam tulisan terdahulu di blog ini telah disajikan bagaimana Delegasi Pendidikan Tangsel sampai di Bendigo ( Reached Bendigo) kemudian menghadiri jamuan makan malam ala Australia ( An Ozzy Dinner). Besok harinya dilanjutkan dengan upacara resmi penerimaan Delegasi Pendidikan Tangsel oleh WSC.

Malam sebelumnya, ketika kami sehabis menghadiri jamuan makan malam di rumah Bu Susan, Bu Robyn mengatakan: ”Sampai jumpa ya Bapak-bapak, besok kita akan mengadakan upacara di lapangan terbuka sekolah, semoga cuacanya memungkinkan karena menurut ramalan cuaca besok itu akan ada badai dan angin berkecepatan 120 km per jam. Dan angin itu sedang menuju Bendigo. Namun, ya kita lihat sajalah bagaimana besok” begitu Kata Bu Robyn dengan penuh kecemasan. Malam harinya, ketika saya sedang tidur, saya terjaga dari tidur sekitar jam 2.30 pagi ketika mendengar bunyi halilintar dan hujanpun turun. Dalam hati saya berkata “ wah ini dia yang dikatakan oleh Bu Robyn benar juga ya badai itu datang ke arah Bendigo, waduh bagaimana nih acara besok di sekolah, padahal acara di tempat terbuka”. Saya mulai khawatir tapi karena kecapean akhirnya saya tidak berlama-lama mempertanyakan hal ini. Saya pun melanjutkan tidur.

Pagipun datang, saya langsung melihat ke luar motel. Allohu Akbar. Cuaca bagus. Tidak hujan tapi agak mendung. Dingin tetap saja ada karena Agustus adalah puncaknya musim dingin di Bendigo. Angin masih terasa bertiup kencang, namun hal ini tidaklah menyurutkan kami untuk segera mempersiapkan diri untuk menghadiri acara di sekolah. Bu Robyn menjemput kami dan kamipun meluncur di sepanjang Napier Street. Tampak dari kejauhan Weeroona Lake anggun dan damai. Seperti halnya hati kami saat itu. Sampailah kami di pelataran parkir sekolah. Banyak anak-anak yang berseliweran. Ada siswa yang berani menyapa kami. Ia berkata : “ Selamat pagi, anda dari Cina?”. “ Oh, bukan, kami dari Indonesia “ jawab Pak Dadang. “ Do you know where Indonesia is?” “ Yes, it is very closed with Burma, isn’t it?” Kata murid Burma itu. “Yes, you are right” Kata Pak Afan sambil tersenyum penuh makna. Kami meneruskan langkah menuju kantor.

Kami berada di koridor depan kantor Kepala Sekolah Weeroona. Seseorang menyapa kami: “ Hello, how are you Bapak-bapak…” said Bu Andy yang menyapa kami. “ It seems like …we know you, what is your name?” kata Pak Herli mencadai Ibu Andy. Kamipun bergelak tawa menikmati suasana dinginnnya Bendigo yang tiba-tiba menjadi hangat oleh derai tawa kami. Kami juga bertemu dengan Bu Sandra, guru bahasa Indonesia yang berasal dari Jakarta Indonesia. Ibu Robyn mempersilakan semua rombongan untuk masuk dan duduk. Ibu Kepala Sekolah Weeroona sedang mengkondisikan para siswa untuk upacara. Kami duduk menunggu. Ibu Robyn menunjuk pada sebuah lukisan besar yang digantungkan di dinding: ”Itu lukisan siswa saya yang berasal dari Karen-Burma, saya dengan Bu Andy mengerjakan proyek bersama-sama. Mereka mengekspersikan gagasan tentang kehidupan melalui lukisan. Wah saya kagum akan hasil pekerjaan mereka. Mereka anak-anak yang baik. Saya suka mereka”. Kata Bu Robyn dengan penuh semangat.

“Hallo everyone, welcome in Weeroona Secondary College Bendigo. My name is Leane Preece . I am the principal of this school, Welcome” Kata Bu Leanne memperkenalkan diri. Bu Robyn mengenalkan semua peserta rombongan Tangsel. Pak Dadang sebagai pimpinan rombongan mulai menjelaskan maksud kedatangan dan menerangkan tentang potensi pendidikan Tangsel. Pak Dedi menambahkan dan mengucapkan rasya syukur bahwa WSC dan SMAN 4 Tangsel sudah bersepakat untuk menjalin sister school bahkan sudah menanda tangani MOU.Ia menegaskan bahwa kunjungan saat ini merupakan kunjungan balasan terhadap kunjungan yang pernah dilakukan oleh Bu Robyn dan Bu Andy ke Tangerang Selatan pada bulan April 2009. Khususnya ke sekolah yang ketika itu dipimpin oleh Pak Dedi. Lebih lanjut, Pak Herli juga menegaskan bahwa kerjasama antara kedua sekolah ini melalui proses yang cukup panjang sejak kepala sekolah WSC yang lama yaitu Pak John Sloan hingga kini berganti kepemimpinan ke Ibu Leane Preece. Di luar terdengar suara riuh, bunyi speaker melengking-lengking, bercampur dengan angin. Ibu Leanne mempersilakan kami untuk menuju tempat upacara.

Cuaca sangat dingin. Namun bagusnya tidak turun hujan. Ini ajaib. Cuaca ramah menyambut kedatangan kami di Weeroona. Di sudut kiri tampak serombongan siswa yang menyajikan lagu ucapan selamat datang: “ Welcome … everybody…” Mereka berdansa dan menari sambil mengangkat topi tanda menghormat ke arah kami. Ini luar biasa. Para siswa mau melakukan ini semua. Padahal cuaca dingin namun para siswa begitu baiknya mempersembahkan hal ini. Cuaca Bedigo demikian bersahabat dan seakan menyambut kedatangan kami. Sampai acara selesai hujan tidak jadi turun, bahkan matahari mulai tampak tersenyum. Senyum yang mulai menghangatkan hati dan badan kami. Kami sangat menikmati ikatan persahabatan ini.

Upacara penerimaanpun dimulai dengan sambutan Ibu Leanne Preece. Sangat mengejutkan Ibu Leanne memberikan sambutan dalam bahasa Indonesia. Ibu Leanne intinya menyatakan ucapan selamat datang di Weeroona Secondary College dan Ia berharap semoga rombongan Tangsel bisa menikmati kunjungan ini. Lebih lanjut, ia juga menekankan mudah-mudahan persahabatan ini akan terus berlanjut. Untuk menyatakan jalinan persahabatan, kami dihadiahi bendera nasional Australia dan bendera Aborigin. Bendera Aborigin disampaikan oleh perwakilan siswa Aborigin sedangkan bendera Australia dibentangkan oleh perwakilan siswa Weeroona Adam dan Kathlyn. Puncak kehangatan suasana direnda dengan sambutan Adam yang mengatas namakan seluruh siswa Weeroona. Sambutan Adam benar-benar merengkuh hati kami dengan kebahagiaan yang membuncah.

Kami merasa berbunga-bunga mendapatkan kehangatan sambutan dari seluruh siswa dan guru Weeroona Secondary College. Cerita ini akan kami bawa ke tempat kami bahwa kedekatan persahabatan antara kedua negara bisa cair dan akrab melalui budaya dan pendidikan. Ini suatu pengalaman yang sangat baik sekali. Selanjutnya, momen bersejarah ini diabadikan dengan foto bersama.Foto yang akan menjadi bukti sejarah akan suatu upaya kerjasama pendidikan antara kedua sekolah. Rombongan dipersilakan untuk menuju ruang guru. Kami bertemu dengan wakil dari Departemen Pendidikan Bendigo. Ia membimbing dan memberikan arahan bagi siswa Aborgin yang ada di sekolah ini.

Tidak berapa lama kemudian datang utusan dari Departemen Pendidikan Bendigo. Ia memberikan penjelasan tentang Bendigo Education Plan. Ia menerangkan tentang dasar pembangunan gedung baru Weeroona. Kami banyak berdiskusi tentang rencana pembangunan pendidikan Bendigo. Mulai dari perencanaan awal, pelaksanaan, sampai dengan pengawasan pelaksanaan bangunan tersebut. Perbincangan diakhiri dengan melihat-lihat lokasi pembangunan gedung baru. WSC akan memiliki konsep pendidikan baru dengan mendirikan “ community”. Empat “community” akan didirikan di WSC.Di satu community akan bernaung beberapa bidang study. Gedung yang lain sedang didirikan juga seperti untuk gedung musik, olah raga, pertukangan dll. Selesai kami melihat-lihat pembangunan gedung kami masuk kembali ke ruang guru.

Di sana sudah banyak orang menanti, ini saatnya makan siang. Benar saja di atas meja sudah tersaji makanan yang lezat-lezat.Siswa, guru, staf adminstrasi semua berbaur di ruangan. Makanan ditempatkan di meja-meja, ada kue, buah-buahan roti, nasi, roti, wah komplit deh… Perut kami yang kosong sejak pagi sudah mulai bernyanyi minta diisi. Maka kamipun segera mengambil piring dan mulai mengambil makan yang tersaji di atas meja, sambil makan kami berkenalan dan menyapa dengan semua yang hadir. Seorang siswa mengatakan: “ This is a big lunch, because of your coming, we are invited to come to this lunch and we enjoy delicious food… can you come to Weeroona so often so we can enjoy free lunch more often too ?,” ujar seorang siswa berkelakar. Kami sibuk mengobrol kesana-kemari. Ambil kue, ambil daging ayam, ambil finger food yang lain. Sayang perut kami tidak selebar mata kami. Kami kekenyangan dan mengantuk. Terimakasih atas makan siangnya. Sungguh sangat spesial.

Di tengah-tengah acara, Ibu Leanne dan Ibu Robyn mempersembahkan beberapa hadiah untuk rombongan Tangsel dan rombongan Tangselpun menyampaikan hadiah serta titipan dari para siswa Tangsel untuk siswa Weeroona. Kami sibuk mengucapkan syukur dan tidak henti-hentinya mensyukuri anugerah ini. Suatu anugerah persahabatan yang tidak ternilai, yang dapat mempertebal jalinan persahabatan diantara kedua sekolah, pada gilirannya dapat meningkatkan pemahaman dan persahabatan antara kedua bangsa: Indonesia dan Australia. Selamat kepada Weeroona Secondary College, Victoria, Australia dan SMA Negeri 4 Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia (HS, 2009).

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English Version
Working together – Weeroona College Bendigo and SMA Negeri 4 Tangsel
(Translated by Robyn Elmi and Sandra Penna)

The sister school relationship between WCB and SMAN 4 Tangsel has been formalised. This occurred as a result of the return visit from SMAN 4 Tangsel to WCB in August 2009. In the last blog I described how the Education Delegation from Tangsel reached Bendigo and attended the Australian dinner (An Aussie Dinner). The next day WSC held a formal Whole School Assembly to welcome the delegation from Tangsel.

The previous evening, after the dinner at Ibu Susanne’s house, Bu Robyn said, “See you later gentlemen; tomorrow we are going to have a formal ceremony in the open yard at school. Hopefully, the weather will make it possible because according to the weather forecast, there will be a thunderstorm and the wind will reach 120km per hour. The wind will be heading towards Bendigo. But we will see about it tomorrow.” That’s what Ibu Robyn said, worriedly. That evening, while I was sleeping, I woke up around about 2.30am when I heard a loud clap of thunder followed by rain. In my heart I said, “Wah, this is it, the weather that Ibu Robyn talked about. She is right; the storm is coming towards Bendigo. Oh no, what are we going to do with the agenda tomorrow at school. The ceremony will be outside.” Then I too became worried, but because I was too tired, I didn’t spend too long thinking about this problem and I went back to sleep.

Morning arrived and I immediately looked out of the motel. Thanks to God, the weather was good. There was no rain but it was a little cloudy. It was still cold because August is the middle of winter in Bendigo. The wind still feels strong but it didn’t dampen our preparations to attend the ceremony at school. Ibu Robyn picked us up and drove us down Napier Street. Weeroona College appeared in the distance graceful and peaceful. Like our hearts at the time. Then we arrived in the school car park. Many children were moving around everywhere. There were students who were brave enough to talk to us. One said, “Good morning, are you from China?”
“No, we are from Indonesia,” answered Pak Dadang. “Do you know where Indonesia is?”
“Yes, it is very close to Burma, isn’t it?” said the Burmese student.
“Yes, you are right,” said Pak Afan with a meaningful smile. We continued towards the office.

We were in the corridor in front of the Principal’s office. Somebody said to me, “How are you Bapak-Bapak...” said Bu Andy who greeted us. “It seems like we know you, what is your name?” said Pak Herli teasing Ibu Andy. We all laughed enjoying the Bendigo cold that suddenly becomes warm because of our laughter. We also met with Ibu Sandra, the Indonesian teacher who comes from Jakarta. Ibu Robyn invited our group to come and sit down. The Principal was organising the students for the assembly. We sat and waited. Ibu Robyn pointed towards a big painting that was hanging on the wall: “That is the painting which was done by our Karen and Sudanese students; Andy worked on this co-operative project. The students expressed their ideas about life through art. Wow, I am very impressed with their work. They are good children. I like them,” said Bu Robyn passionately.

“Hello everyone, welcome to Weeroona College Bendigo. My name is Leanne Preece. I am the principal of this school. Welcome,” said Ibu Leanne introducing herself. Bu Robyn introduced all of the delegation members. Pak Dadang, as the leader of the group, began to explain the reason for their visit which was to make clear the educational potential of Tangsel. Pak Dedi also expressed the group’s appreciation for the sister school agreement reached between WCB and SMAN 4 Tangsel as stated in the MOU signed by both schools. He stated that this delegation was reciprocating the visit to Tangsel made by Bu Robyn and Bu Andy in April 2009. Especially to the school which was headed by Pak Dedi at that time. Furthermore, Pak Herli also stated that the co-operation between the two schools has been progressing since the leadership of the former principal, Mr John Sloan, until now under the leadership of Ibu Leanne Preece. Outside we could hear a lot of noise, the sound of the speaker screeching, the bell ringing and the wind blowing. Ibu Leanne guided us towards the ceremony area.

The weather was very cold but it was a good thing it didn’t rain. It’s a miracle. The weather was friendly to us at Weeroona. In the left corner a group of students were singing a welcoming song. “Welcome...everybody...” They danced and lifted their hats in our direction as a sign of respect. This was extraordinary, a group of students were willing to do this even though the weather was cold, the students still performed their dance. The weather in Bendigo was so friendly, as if it was welcoming our visit. It did not rain throughout the school welcoming assembly, even the sun was starting to smile. The smile was starting to warm up our hearts and our bodies. We really enjoyed this friendship.

The Welcoming Ceremony began with Ibu Leanne Preece’s speech. We were very surprised that Ibu Leanne made her speech in Indonesian. Ibu Leanne welcomed us to Weeroona College and she said that she hopes that the Tangsel group will enjoy this visit. Furthermore, she also stated that she hoped that this friendship will continue. To demonstrate our friendship, we were presented with an Australian and an Aboriginal flag. The Aboriginal flag was handed over by a representative of the Aboriginal students, whereas the Australian flag was presented by the School Captains, Adam and Kaitlyn. The peak of the warm atmosphere was woven by Adam’s speech; he spoke on behalf of all of the Weeroona students. Adam’s speech really held our hearts with abundant happiness.

The warm welcome from all of the students and teachers at Weeroona College Bendigo made our hearts blossom. We will take this warm story home and the relationship between the two countries will thaw and become close through culture and education. It was a very good experience. Further to this, this historic moment has been recorded with our photos together. These photos will be the evidence of our efforts to work together to support the education between the two schools. The group was invited to go the staffroom. Then we met with Mr Rob Saunders, who is the representative from the Education Department’s Regional Office. He is responsible for providing support for the Aboriginal students in this school.

Not long after, Mr Rob Hallisey arrived and he too is from the Education Department’s Regional Office, in charge of overseeing the Bendigo Education Plan. He gave us information about the Bendigo Education Plan. He explained about the building program being carried out at Weeroona. We discussed the education plan in Bendigo. We talked about its inception, the building program and its supervision. After our discussions we walked around to look at the new buildings in progress. Weeroona will have a new educational concept by building four Learning Communities that incorporate open areas, studio classrooms, small discussion rooms, specialist art and science rooms, outdoor learning terraces and informal areas. The design of these areas is to allow teachers and students to work in different ways: one-on-one, with small groups in small spaces and large groups in larger spaces. This will ensure a more personalised approach to teaching that focuses on the needs of the individual student.

After we saw the buildings, we returned to the staffroom. There were already many people waiting, it was time lunchtime. It is true, on top of the tables there was a lot of delicious food. Students, teachers and administrative staff mingled together in the room. On the tables could be found cakes, fruit, bread, rice, pies, it was absolutely complete...... Our empty stomachs since the morning started to sing, asking to be filled. So we immediately got ourselves a plate and served ourselves all the food from the tables. While we were eating we were able to get to know and greet everyone who was there. One student jokingly said: “This is a big lunch because you have come... can you come to Weeroona often, so we can have a free lunch more often too?” We were busy chatting here and there, getting cake, getting chicken and getting other finger food. Too bad our tummies were not as big as our eyes. We were stuffed full and getting sleepy. Thank you for the lunch, it was very special.

In the middle of the lunch, Ibu Leanne and Ibu Robyn presented some gifts for the Tangsel group and the Tangsel group also presented their gifts to Weeroona, along with the letters from Tangsel students for Weeroona students. We were busy expressing our gratitude and didn’t want to stop showing our appreciation for this serendipitous occasion. This is a priceless friendship, which will strengthen the friendship between the two schools. In turn it will also increase the understanding and friendship between the two nations: Indonesia and Australia. Congratulations to Weeroona College Bendigo, Victoria, Australia and SMA Negeri 4 Tangerang Selatan Indonesia (Herli Salim, Robyn Elmi, and Sandra Penna)

6.4 Quake Hits Indonesia's Sunda Strait

Police in Ujung Kulon, Banten province, said they had not received any reports of damage or injuries from a 6.4 magnitude quake that struck in Indonesia's Sunda Strait on Friday afternoon. The temblor caused buildings to shake some 187 kilometers away in Jakarta.

No tsunami warning was issued.

The quake struck 185 kilometers of Sukabumi, at a depth of 53.7 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey. The USGS initially assigned it a magnitude of 6.5 but later downgraded it to 6.1.

In Cilegon on the west Java coast, residents said the earth shook powerfully but there was no evidence of damage.

The tremor was felt at between II and IV MMI in Jakarta. This level is considered to pose a relatively low threat to buildings and other structures, said Suharjono, head of the seismology desk at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

Officials at Ujung Kulon National Park said there did not appear to be any damage to the 1200-square-kilometer reserve. PT Krakatau Steel’s plant in Banten province was reportedly unaffected.

Don Makaha of Ombak Liar Surf Adventure said the epicenter was close to the island of Panaitan, which used to be home to a surf camp but has been abandoned since 2005. He said he was trying to establish contact with surfing charter boats in the area, but had not yet succeeded.

People fled high-rise buildings in Jakarta when the rumbling began. Robert Simanungkalit and his girlfriend had ordered food on the 10th floor of Plaza Semanggi.

"We just ran down the emergency stairs," he said. "We're still afraid to go back because there might be aftershocks."

Suharjono said it was impossible to know whether the quake was related to the devastating quake that struck West Sumatra earlier this month.


JG, Bloomberg

Weeroona News 2

Weeroona News 1

‘Thousands trapped’ under rubble:Padang Earthquake!

The Jakarta Post , Padang/Medan/Pekanbaru | Thu, 10/01/2009 9:38 AM | Headlines
JP/Irma
A powerful earthquake rattled the city of Padang, West Sumatra, on Wednesday, leaving at least 75 dead and trapping thousands under flattened buildings, officials said.
The death toll was likely to increase as many buildings, including houses, hotels, schools and shops, collapsed, Vice President Jusuf Kalla told a news conference in Jakarta after chairing an emergency meeting on the disaster response and coordination.
As communication lines were cut, the number of victims in the Pariaman regency, which is nearest to the epicenter in the Indian Ocean, are still unknown. A Pariaman native, the politician Indra Piliang, said as quoted by detik.com, “almost all houses are flattened.”
Rustam Pakaya, the head of the Health Ministry's disaster center in Jakarta, said thousands of people were still trapped in the rubble of buildings.
The 7.6-magnitude quake sparked fires and there were power outages across the entire city. The roof of Padang's Minangkabau Airport reportedly collapsed, forcing a temporary closure, and roads and bridges were destroyed.
Tremors were felt in Medan, Pekanbaru, Jambi, Bengkulu and other areas across Sumatra Island, as well as in Singapore and Malaysia, meteorologists and witnesses said, causing widespread panic in all affected towns.
A tsunami warning for countries around the Indian Ocean was issued after the earthquake struck Wednesday evening, but was lifted an hour and a half later.
Heavy rainfall later in the evening worsened the situation in Padang, as most victims lacked emergency tents for shelter.
Witnesses told local television and radio hundreds of houses had collapsed and a road to the coastal town of Padang was cut off, while flights were canceled to the city, airlines officials said.
TV footage showed devastation, with piles of rubble and collapsed houses in Padang.
“Hundreds of houses have been damaged, there are fires, bridges are cut and there is extreme panic here. Ruptured water pipes have triggered flooding,” said a Reuters witness in the city, before his cell phone was cut off.
The US Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.9, and struck 50 kilometers off the coast of Sumatra.
However, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) in Medan put the quake’s magnitude at 7.6.
Its epicenter was 71 kilometers under the sea off Pariaman, 70 kilometers from Padang. The quake hit at around 5:16 p.m. for about four minutes along the same fault line that spawned the massive Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
The Health Ministry has dispatched medical teams carrying medicine and food supplies for the quake victims. Rustam Pakaya said teams from health agencies in Medan and Palembang were on their way to West Sumatra towns.
“Tomorrow [Thursday] morning about 40 doctors, including specialists, will fly to Padang on a humanitarian mission,” Rustam said.
Another medical team will depart from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta at about 6 a.m., he added.
Medan's BMG spokesman Rifwar Kamin said the areas in North Sumatra hardest hit by the quake included Nias Island.
Although the strong temblor was felt in Medan, no casualties were reported from North Sumatra.
Widespread panic hit Pekanbaru, forcing residents, including Riau deputy governor Mambang Mit, to flee buildings to seek safety in open fields, as traffic came to a standstill at roads across the province's capital city.
Tremors were felt in Pasir Pangarayan, the capital of Rokan Hulu regency, some 240 km from the epicenter in Pariaman. Yuslena, a schoolteacher in Rokan Hulu, said several buses had to stop because their drivers could not control them.
“The drivers were worried they would hit other vehicles so the passengers got off to seek safety,”
she said.
Residents in Padang were recently still recovering from the latest major quake in 2007.
They had also felt tremors in the 2005 quake which hit Nias, and the 2004 earthquake and tsunami in Aceh and Nias (Source: JakartaPost)

Kunjungan Prof Peter Waterworth ke Diknas Tangsel

Prof. Dr. Peter Waterworth merupakan mantan dosen Universitas Deakin, Melbourne, Australia. Sejak ia pensiun aktif memberikan kuliah paruh waktu di beberapa universitas: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapura, Indonesia, dan memberikan seminar di berbagai Negara Amerika dan Europa. Masyarakat pendidikan khususnya Kabupaten dan Kota Serang, serta umumnya Banten sangat akrab dengan beliau karena sering memberikan seminar, workshop, conference, supervisi tentang pembaharuan pendidikan sejak tahun 1998. Ia juga merupakan mediator kerjasama antar sekolah (sister school) untuk sekolah yang berada di Australia dengan sekolah yang berada di Indonesia.

Pada hari Senin, 12 Oktober 2009, Ia mau mengunjungi Dinas Pendidikan Kota Tangsel (jam 9.00 – 10.00) dan SMA Negeri 2 Kota Tangsel ( 11.00 – 14.00). Di sekolah ini,ia mau bertemu dengan Kepala Sekolah SMA Negeri 2 Tangsel dan bertemu dengan dewan guru ( jam 11.00 – 12.00), dan beliau mau mengadakan workshop dengan para kepala sekolah se- Kota Tangsel yang sekolahnya sudah menyandang kualifikasi SBI/RSBI/SSN yang berada di Kota Tangsel (jam 13.00 – 14.00) bertempat di SMA Negeri 2 Tangsel.

Selain itu, maksud kedatangan beliau juga adalah untuk memotivasi jalinan hubungan sister school yang sudah ada, misalnya: SMA Negeri 3 Tangsel berpasangan dengan Castlemaine Secondary College, Castlemaine. SMA Negeri 4 Tangsel bermitra dengan Weeroona Secondary College, Bendigo. Hal ini sebagai tindak lanjut kunjungan Bapak Drs Dadang Sofyan, Kadis Diknas Kota Tangsel dan rombongan ke Melbourne, Australia pada bulan Agustus lalu. Termasuk dalam kegiatan tersebut adalah mempromosikan sekolah-sekolah di Tangsel, yang salah satunya adalah SMA Negeri 2 Tangsel.

Hubungan sister school antara sekolah di Kota Tangsel difasilitasi juga oleh Drs. H. Herli Salim, M.Ed. Ia merupakan mediator sekolah Indonesia yang mau menjalin kerjasama pendidikan dengan sekolah Australia. Ia bertempat tinggal di Kota Melbourne, Australia, karena saat ini, Ia sedang belajar di Program Doktor Universitas Deakin, Melbourne, Australia. Ia merupakan dosen Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Kampus Serang, Banten. Ia aktif mendampingi Prof Dr. Peter Waterworth dalam setiap kegiatan pendidikan yang diselengarakan di Banten dan di seluruh kota Indonesia. Kerjasama pendidikan SMA Negeri 3 Tangsel dan SMA Negeri 4 Tangsel dengan sekolah Australia sudah terjalin dalam bentuk saling berkirim surat dan membuat web blog bersama.

Kunjungan Prof Dr. Peter Waterworth sudah dikomunikasikan oleh Drs. H Herli Salim, M.Ed. kepada Bapak Drs. Dadang Sofyan, Bapak Drs. Dedi Rafidi, Kasi Dikmenti, dan Bapak Drs. P.A. Sopandy, Kepala Sekolah SMA Negeri 2 Tangsel. Marilah kita gunakan kesempatan ini bagi para siswa SMA Negeri 3 Tangsel dan SMA Negeri 4 Tangsel untuk lebih mengeratkan tali batin dengan sekolah yang berada di Australia. Untuk itu, silakan siswa dan siswi menulis surat dan titipkanlah surat tersebut ke Pak Peter untuk disampaikan ke para siswa di Australia. Untuk keterangan lebih lanjut, silakan hubungi Bapak Drs. Ibni Afan, Koordinator Program, di SMA Negeri 4 Tangsel. Mari sukseskan kunjungan Prof Dr Peter Waterworth ke Kota Tangerang Selatan ! (HS, 2009).

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English Version
Professor Peter Waterworth visits the Tangsel Educational Region

Prof. Dr. Peter Waterworth is an ex-lecturer from the Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. Since his retirement, he is still actively giving part-time lectures in several universities in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. He also gives seminars in different parts of America and Europe. The educational personnel, especially in the Banten region and the city of Serang, knows him very well because of his seminars, workshops, conferences and his supervision of the education renewal since 1998. He also is a mediator for all the sister schools in Australia with schools in Indonesia.

On Monday, 12 October 2009, he visited the Regional Office in the city of Tangsel, SMA Negeri 2 Kota Tangsel. At this school he met with the principal and the leading teachers. He also held a workshop for all of the principals in the Tangsel area who were leading schools who had already qualified for international standing.
Apart from that, his visit was also to motivate other schools to develop sister school relationships. For example, SMA Negeri 3 Tangsel has formed a partnership with Castlemaine Secondary College. SMA Negeri 4 Tangsel has established a partnership with Weeroona College Bendigo. This is because of the visit to Melbourne, Australia made by Dr Dadang Sofyan, the head of Tangsel Region last August. This included the promotion of all of the schools in the Tangsel region, one of them is SMA Negeri 2 Tangsel.


The sister school relationship between schools in Tangsel is being facilitated by Drs H. Herli Salim, M. Ed. He is the mediator for Indonesian schools who would like to form educational partnerships with Australian schools. He lives in Melbourne because at the moment he is undertaking a PhD at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. He is a lecturer at the Indonesian Education University, Serang Campus, Banten. He actively accompanies Prof Dr. Peter Waterworth in all educational activities that were being held in Banten and throughout Indonesia. Co-operative Education between SMA Negeri 3 Tangsel and SMA Negeri 4 Tangsel with the Australian schools has already been formed through correspondence and developing a blog site together.

The visit of Prof. Dr. Peter Waterworth has already been communicated by Drs H. Herli Salim, M.Ed. to Bapak Drs Dadang Sofyan, Bapak Drs. Dedi Rafidi and Bapak Drs. P.A. Sopandy, Principal of SMA Negeri 2 Tangsel. Let’s use this opportunity for all the students in the abovementioned Indonesian schools to form stronger spiritual ties with schools in Australia. For this purpose please encourage the students to write letters and give it to Pak Peter for him to take to the students in Australia. For more information, please contact Bapak Drs. Ibni Afan, Program co-ordinator at SMA Negeri 4 Tangsel. Let us help him make the program successful.

Written by Pak Herli Salim
Translated by Sandra Penna and Robyn Elmi

10 killed, 41 missing in Cianjur after Java powerful quake

The Jakarta Post , Cianjur, West Java | Thu, 09/03/2009 10:08 AM | National

Ten people were killed and 41 others are still missing in a small village in Cianjur regency after a 7.3-magnitude quake shook the southern part of West Java on Wednesday afternoon.

Apudin, 61, a resident of Cikangkareng village, said he had been walking along the kampung alley when he had witnessed the earthquake cause a hill facing one of the village's neighborhoods slide in less than three minutes.

"It happened very fast. We were all too panicked to save our lives," he told The Jakarta Post Thursday.

More than a dozen houses and a mosque are currently buried under rocks and soil from the landslide.

Agus Ibro, 34, a resident who manages the evacuation of the earthquake victims, said it was quite hard for the residents to locate more bodies on Wednesday since they had run the evacuation manually.

"Two excavators are reportedly heading to this place, we hope we can find more bodies today," he said.

Among the victims, according to Agus, was head of the community unit in the neighborhood.

"We only found his left leg, but his family has confirmed that it was his leg," he said

This morning, the residents, helped by officers from the army and local red-cross, will continue the evacuation. (hwa)

Gempa Bumi di Tasikmalaya, Jawa Barat

TEMPO Interaktif, Jakarta - Gempa 7,3 Skala Richter dipastikan oleh Badan Meteorologi dan Geofisika tidak menimbulkan gelombang tsunami. Namun, gempa pukul 14.55 WIB yang berpusat di Tasikmalaya, Jawa Barat, itu merontokkan beberapa atap bangunan. Beberapa menit setelah gempa, badan ini sempat memberi peringatan berpotensi tsunami.

Guncangan gempa dirasakan hampir seluruh wilayah Jawa. Sejumlah kota di Jawa Barat dan Jawa Tengah, warganya merasakan adanya getaran gempa selama beberpa detik. di Kota Bandung, sebuah kantor bank rusak.

Begitu pula di Jakarta, gempa ini menimbulkan kepanikan penduduk dan mengakibatkan kerusakan beberapa fasilitas. Pegawai di perkantoran Jalan Suidrman berhamburan keluar. Mereka memadati ruas jalur lambat, lantaran takut gedung jangkung tempatnya bekerja, bakal terjadi apa-apa.

An Ozzy Dinner

Bu Robyn came to pick us up with a smaller car than the previous one. We all hurriedly got into her car and she started driving the car towards the Bendigo City. The city at night was glamorous with lights and many people performing their nightly ritual. The car crossed the city and began passing the scenic hills and creeks. Along the way, we saw a huge tract of farming land, green grass, as well as farms with various vegetables and fruits, cattle, etc. It was a totally different scene to what we face every day in Tangerang, which is crowded, with many people all striving for land. Here, as far as we could see was a huge, vast land.

The car turned left into a country road. The tyres bumped along a rough surfaced road. On our left and right hand sides were big trees and thick shrub, sometimes we passed ‘a small jungle’. The group began wondering: Mau kemana kita ini? Apakah daerah ini aman? Jangan-jangan ada penjahat! (Where are we going ? Is this region safe? Are we sure there are no thugs over here!). They began to worry about their safety and why Bu Robyn took them to such a place!

The car entered a gate but it was still empty land that we saw. After a couple of minutes driving, the car reached a new, glimmering house. A few cars were there but the surrounding area was black and quiet. Our friend, Andy, came out from the house with two dogs following her to greet us. It was a nice house with white pebbles, which was situated in a remote area. The distance to the other houses was far…far away. Who is the owner of this house? She must be very brave lady living in a house far from neighbours? We had so many questions.

We entered a room. It was warmer inside compared to the cold and windy winter weather outside. We saw a lady, who was busy cooking in a neat kitchen. She greeted us with an Australian accent: “Hello, everyone, welcome to my home, my name is Susan, nice to meet you all.” she said to all of us. We shook hands and introduced each other. Susan is the owner of the house and she was willing to host us and provide us with a typical Australian dinner: BBQ. Everyone was happy and Pak Afan chatted with Andy and asked about his family. Pak Dedi was also excited to see Andy. He met her when she went to Ciputat last Easter Holidays with Bu Robyn. “Unbelievable, Andy, I am here and to meet you?” said Pak Afan enthusiastically. A happy reunion of friends!

Bu Susan took us on a tour of her house. In the backyard she pointed to where Kangaroos wander in that area. However, tonight they did not appear. They were shy because of the visitors. Looking to the other side, we saw many horses standing in the dark with cloth on their backs to protect them from wind and rain. Bu Susan pointed and said, “That was my parents’ old house over there and at the back of it is my nearest neighbour to this house. My house now is relatively new. I just recently finished building it”. Then, we went back into the room.



Everyone chatted happily. We began enjoying the cakes on the table. Bu Robyn was busy helping Bu Susan. Bu Robyn bought a bottle of chilli sauce for this occasion because she knows that we love chilli sauce so much. Talking, laughing, chatting were dominating the living room. An aura and spirit of friendship exists here. Bu Susan did the cooking herself and it was almost done. We looked around the room and saw many antique ornaments from a past time in the living room. There were many pictures of horses with Bu Susan riding them. It was a lovely and well facilitated house!

We ate our dinner at a round table. This table had a moving part with food on it. We turned the table and selected any food we wanted. Grilled chicken, baked potatoes, breads, vegetables, etc were served on the table. We tried to communicate as best as we could. Our body, mind, eyes and face expressed our feeling of this friendship visit. Even though our English words are limited, our hearts are vast and huge to deliver our messages to our best Australian friends. We enjoy and love this friendship.

After we finished dinner, the conversation was continued on the sofa. Bu Susan joined us. All of us could not wait to ask her a lot of questions:
“Why are you living here alone? Didn’t you feel afraid?” said a friend.
“Do you protect yourself with a gun? If a bandit comes you can use it!” said another friend.“It is such a big…Wow! To realize only one person lives in this vast land and in such a big house! We were amazed.

We were amazed by the secure condition of this country life. We knew how safe this residence was from Bu Susan’s explanations. Even, Bu Susan doesn’t even lock the front door at night time. The Indonesian friends’ minds were imagining and comparing this situation with their own country’s situation, which was extremely different. Finally, thank you Bu Robyn, Bu Andy, for organizing this dinner. Our special thanks also go to Bu Susan, who prepared her house and served us with such a delicious meal. We tasted a country Australian dinner. We invite you to come to Indonesia to forge our friendship. (HS).

Posted by CIPUTAT WEEROONA FRIENDSHIPS at 6:59 PM 2 comments

Reached Bendigo

Tangerang Selatan Education Delegation has just visited Weeroona Secondary College in Bendigo last August 2009. This visit was a return visit to a visit made by two WSC teachers to SMA Negeri 2 Ciputat / SMA Negeri 4 Tangerang Selatan during the last Easter Holidays. The delegation comprised of Pak Dadang Sofyan, Director of Education Tangsel City, Pak Dedi Rafidi, School Principal of SMA Negeri 2 Ciputat, and also head of Senior School Department of Education at Tangsel Education City, and Pak Ibni Afan, the Program Coordinator at SMA Negeri 2 Ciputat, and Pak Herli Salim, the Indonesian Sister Schools Mediator. The delegation was picked up by Bu Robyn and her daughter Neima, from Melbourne Airport.

The first amazing thing about Australia was expressed by the group when they saw Bu Robyn driving a bus. Wow! That was something that we do not often see in Indonesia: A lady driving a big bus! We were all excited to talk during the trip from Melbourne to Bendigo. During the trip all of the people ate Nasi (Rice) which was prepared by Bu Ita- Pak Herli's wife. On the way, Bu Robyn explained the places we passed. The trip to Bendigo took us approximately 1.5 hour and Bu Robyn was very skilful at driving the big bus to reach Bendigo.

We stayed at a motel in Bendigo. This motel has a nice view of Lake Weeroona. It is a lake surrounded by green trees and decorated with flowers at its edge. There were many people jogging around it at that time. The area was very quiet and we breathed fresh air. Many birds were flying around and singing. The sun shone and we tried to warm up our freezing bodies. It was far, far away from the busy metropolitan city of Jakarta. We were happy when we saw the lake, and a photo session started. Everyone showed their own style and unique performances. All of us were very excited to take photos at the lake in the freezing Bendigo weather. We were very impressed by the management of the environment. Wow! What a nice city with a good lake management!


Lake Weeroona is situated in Napier Street. It is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike, with hundreds of people enjoying the fantastic amenities and natural surrounds every weekend. The picturesque ornamental lake is situated on an 18 hectare reserve with picnic areas and parkland featuring a fun and fitness track, BBQ's, undercover picnic facilities and a playground, and it is one of the city's most visited recreation facilities. From a simple picnic on the lush lawns on the lake foreshore, to a romantic sunset meal overlooking the water at the Boardwalk Cafe, Lake Weeroona is a great place to spend a glorious summer day.

Then, Bu Robyn escorted us to visit Bendigo Tourist Centre to find out information about Bendigo. We found a lot of information about old mining times when Bendigo was in its golden era. Many people came here to search for gold. We walked to a backyard and went to a tower in a nice and beautiful garden surrounding it. We stepped up to the first level of the tower to see Bendigo City. Pak Dadang was very enthusiastic: he walked to the top. How did you feel Pak Dadang? Wow! Di atas lebih dingin dan banyak angin! (It was colder and windy at the top!). After that, we went to downtown Bendigo to see the city in a glance. Pak Dedi bought an electrical adapter for charging his 'beloved' mobile phone. The others walked along the road and absorbed the Bendigo City activities.

We went back to the motel to take a rest because this was what we expected at this moment. Our stomachs were still full but our eyes asked for some sleep. We noticed a bunch of yellow flowers which was put on our table – native wattle. Thank you for the flowers, Bu Robyn. It was really like our hearts were blossoming in happiness and overwhelmed with enthusiasm of our growing friendship. "Ok, have a nice rest Bapak-bapak, I will pick you up at 5 pm. We will have an Ozzie barbeque tonight," said Bu Robyn when she left us.
(to be continued)

Posted by CIPUTAT WEEROONA FRIENDSHIPS at 1:04 PM 0 comments

VISIT TO WEEROONA COLLEGE BENDIGO

Staff and students at Weeroona College Bendigo are busily preparing a program to welcome our special guests from Indonesia who will arrive on 6th August.

Drs. Dadang Sofyan, MM

He is the director of education for Tangerang Selatan City. Previously, he was the head of the Senior School and Higher Education Section at Banten National Education Office. During his term, he intends to make Tangerang Selatan City an educational icon. In this area there are lot of schools and universities with international standards. He wishes to establish links with the Australian schools for the Tangerang Selatan schools. Therefore, Drs Dadang Sofyan visit to Australia will strengthen his main program and enhance the link between SMA Negeri 2 Ciputat and Weeroona Secondary College in particular and with all Victorian / Bendigo schools in general.



Drs. Dedi Rafidi

He is the school Principal of SMA Negeri 2 Ciputat Tangerang. The school is located in Ciputat where parents are enthusiastic to increase the educational level of their children to reach international standards. This is the main reason that drives the educational link and cooperation with Weeroona Secondary College Bendigo. This visit is intended to cement the relationship which was established when two teachers from Weeroona travelled to Ciputat during the last Easter holidays.




Drs. Ibni Afan

He is the Program Coordinator at SMA Negeri 2 Ciputat Tangerang. He is also an English teacher. His main duty is to plan and provide the school with an annual pprogram, including the educational link with overseas schools. He intends to research and implement activities in cooperation with Weeroona College Bendigo that will enrich the educational opportunities for the students of Ciputat and Weeroona.


We are all excited to have the opportunity to meet with them and show them our school and educational system in Bendigo, Victoria. A regional representative, Mr Rob Hallisey, as well as our school Principal, Ms Leanne Preece, will meet with our guests to explain the Bendigo Education Plan which will become a model for the future of education in Bendigo.

Kami semua merasa sangat gembira mendapat kesempatan untuk bertemu dengan mereka, dan dapat memperlihatkan sekolah kami, dan juga sistim pendidikan di Bendigo, Victoria. Wakil daerah, Bapak Rob Hallisey, beserta Kepala Sekolah kami, Ibu Leanne Preece, akan bertemu dengan tamu-tamu kita untuk menjelaskan Rencana Pendidikan Bendigo, yang akan menjadi contoh/model bagi masa depan pendidikan di Bendigo.

We thank Mr Herli Salim for his hard work and valuable input in preparing for this visit. We know that we cannot match the hospitality and generosity shown by our Indonesian friends in April; however, we hope that this visit will strengthen this newly formed relationship and it will continue for a very long time.

Kami mengucapkan terima kasih kepada Bapak Herli Salim untuk hasil kerja keras dan pemasukan yang sangat berharga dalam mempersiapkan kunjungan ini.
Kami sadar bahwa kami tidak akan dapat menyamai keramah tamahan dan kedermawanan yang telah diperlihatkan oleh teman-teman Indonesia kami pada bulan April yang baru lalu. Tetapi kami berharap bahwa kunjungan ini akan dapat memperkuat hubungan yang baru tercipta ini, dan akan berlanjut untuk waktu yang panjang.

We also want to express our deep condolences to all the people who have suffered as a result of the latest terrorist bombings in Jakarta. We know that Australia is working closely with Indonesia, to capture the perpetrators of these horrific crimes.
Kami juga ingin menyampaikan rasa dukacita yang sedalam-dalamnya bagi semua orang yang menderita akibat pemboman yang terjadi di Jakarta baru-baru ini. Kami tahu bahwa Australia dengan Indonesia sedang bekerja sama dengan erat, guna menangkap pelaku dari kejahatan yang mengerikan ini.

Written by Robyn Elmi, Pak Herli Salim and Sandra Penna

Indonesia is the country of most smiles

Wednesday July 1, 2009



Translated by Ruth Black and Robyn Elmi

London: Swedish mass media for the last few weeks have reported that Indonesia ranks first amongst nations with their people smiling the most compared to other people in other countries.An excerpt from ‘The Smiling Report 2009’ which was carried out by one of the Providers of Mystery Shoppers who are in Sweden, ranked the Swedish people at number 24, said one of the secretaries from Stockholm KBRI, Sweden, Dody Kusumonegoro to the Antara Correspondent.

In an opinion survey carried out in 2008 which included more than 2.5 million questions about smiling and greeting at sales venues in 66 countries, Sweden placed Indonesia at the top of the list. The Swedish media reported Indonesia as the country that smiled the most. This was the result of the customer service data obtained from an evaluation in Sweden which was carried out in all fields by AB Business throughout the world.

In the report it was stated that Indonesia was the nation that smiled the most, with a score of 98%. Apart from that, Indonesia was also the nation with the highest rating of ‘Greetings’, it scored 98%. Sweden was at number 24 on the list for the category ‘Smiles’ with a mark of 77% and a ranking of 31 for ‘Greetings’ with 81%. Industries which smile a lot were health and beauty, nursing and transportation, with 86%. The lowest mark was in the business services with only 52%. In the opinion survey it stated that ‘Greetings’ in the years 2008 and 2007 were recorded at 81% compared with 88% in 2004. The highest ranking in ‘Greetings’ apart from Indonesia was Hong Kong with 98%, whereas the lowest rank was held by Morocco with 48%.
The highest rate of ‘Greetings’ was found in government services with 94% whilst in business circles it was only 70%. In sales services the highest score was recorded by Pakistan with 82% and the lowest by Finland with 3%. Business services got the highest score with 65%, while the entertainment industry ranked lowest with 40%. In that report there was a big discrepancy between continents: Australia scored the highest of all continents with ‘Smiles’ at 89% and ‘Greetings’ at 92%, while Africa was the lowest with ‘Smiles’ at 61% and ‘Greetings’ at 51% ( quoted from 'Antara' News agency)

Studying Indonesian: Is it the future for Australia?

Saturday July 4, 2009

Translated by Ruth Black and Robyn Elmi

One the foremost newspapers in Australia, ‘The Australian’, on 10th June, 2009 expressed the view that the future of that country in the field of work and industry in the 21st Century will depend on the mastering of Asian languages.
As was published by ‘The Australian’, an expert in the field of International Relations from the Asian Institute at Griffith University, Michael Wesley, advised the Australian government to immediately carry out a broad program of Asian language study, supported by a budget of $US11.3 million.

Michael’s announcement was delivered when launching the results of research about the sharp drop in language education programs at university level.
According to him, Australia is no longer able to rely on the elite, who are fluent in Asian languages, to champion projects which are significant to Australia in the Asian region. “If we only depend on the elite, it will mean that the people of Australia will be locked in 20th Century industries, while other nations will move ahead and take part in the 21st Century knowledge economy,” he said. He also advised that the Australian economy is now becoming increasingly globalized and more knowledge based.

Michael’s report, entitled, “The building of an Australia aware of Asia”, stated that there are three Asian languages which must be pursued by Australia: Mandarin and Japanese because these two countries are Australia’s biggest trading partners; and the next most important language is Indonesian because Indonesia is Australia’s nearest neighbour.

In addition, he said that now is a critical time for Australia to ensure that at least some of its people can speak Asian languages in the next 30 years. “In the future we will be a knowledge based economy centred in Asia. Because of that, it is important for us to combine a knowledge based economy with the right human resources – people who can speak in languages other than English,” he commented.
Michael’s report suggested strategies for Australians to master Asian languages at school and university level. One of these strategies will be to make Australian educational institutions compete to obtain funds from national institutions for Asian languages. As a result, the total number of students who will study Mandarin, Japanese or Indonesian in the preparatory, primary and secondary levels will increase by 100% within five years. When these educational institutes win that funding, they must make sure that all of the language students above Year 10 get at least 150 minutes per week of Asian language study.

In 15 years time, Asian languages which are prioritised, could be widened to incorporate the study of Vietnamese, Thai, Persian, Bengali, Cambodian, Lao and Burmese.

Michael cited the prediction from the World Bank which stated that the Asia Pacific region will be a leader in the development of the knowledge based economy. He then compared the situation in Australia now, where 75% of Australians can only speak English.

According to him, at the moment, the centre of knowledge based economies is not in English speaking countries but in the very fast developing countries in the Asian region such as China, Korea, Taiwan and India. “Most of these consumers will buy non-English products and they will develop products which use local languages. That is the reason that only nations which can control local capacity will be profitable,” said Michael. When asked why the Australian people must study Asian languages when English has become the means of communication in the global business world, Michael concluded that it was this momentum, mentioned above, which was a ‘key’ argument. He explained that studying foreign languages is the fastest route to the understanding that our way of thinking about the world is not universal; studying a foreign language will shape our culture.

This report from the Griffith Asian Institute proclaims that all educational institutes will be targeted to teach two languages. This concept is broader than the Prime Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd’s program, which will only prioritize senior secondary students.

Michael Wesley’s proposal is similar to a number of steps which will be announced by the Australian Government about encouraging Asian languages. But on the other hand, Michael’s view diverges from the language strategies which were put forward by circles such as Joe Lo Bianco from Melbourne University.

Lo Bianco believes that studying languages in school should have been directed towards balancing the pragmatic (trade and security) with the humanistic (curiosity, culture, intellectual development). “Australia must study the problem of discriminating between that which is suitable to be applied in schools and received by the students (general policy) and what is needed by specialists (policy specialisation),” he said. He added,” The majority of students will not be involved in trade negotiations or in building national security policy.”
Teaching languages in school must become the first step towards successful language study and language classes in universities should produce leaders in their intellectual discipline. As well as that, language teaching in government departments or other institutions should be focusing on specialising at a higher level than university,” he said.

Michael Wesley again insisted that Australia is no longer able to depend on a small elite to negotiate with the world. The ability to speak Asian languages must be broadened for the sake of certainty in the work arena in the future (RB & RE, 2009)

Pembelajaran Bahasa Indonesia: Masa depan Australia?

Salah satu harian terkemuka di Australia, ’The Australian’, pada edisi 10 Juni 2009 mengungkapkan bahwa masa depan negeri itu dalam hal lapangan pekerjaan dan industri pada abad-21 bergantung pada penguasaan bahasa-bahasa Asia.

Seperti dipublikasikan oleh ’The Australian’, seorang pakar bidang ilmu hubungan international dari Institut Asia di Universitas Griffith yang bernama Michael Wesley mengingatkan pemerintah Australia agar segera merealisasikan program pembelajaran bahasa Asia secara massal, dengan dukungan anggaran senilai 11,3 miliar dollar AS.

Pernyataan Michael itu disampaikannya dalam acara peluncuran hasil penelitian tentang penurunan secara tajam program pendidikan bahasa di tingkat universitas.

Menurut dia, Australia tidak bisa lagi hanya mengandalkan para elite yang lancar berbahasa Asia untuk memperjuangkan proyek-proyek yang merupakan kepentingan Australia di kawasan Asia. "Bila kita hanya bergantung kepada para elite, itu artinya masyarakat Australia secara keseluruhan akan terkunci di industri abad ke-20 saja, sementara negara-negara lain akan bergerak terus dan ambil bagian dalam ekonomi pengetahuan ala abad ke-21," kata dia yang juga mengingatkan bahwa saat ini ekonomi Australia kian global dan menjadi lebih padat pengetahuan.

Laporan Michael yang bertajuk "Membangun Australia yang Melek-Asia" menyebutkan bahwa ada tiga bahasa Asia yang harus dikejar oleh Australia. Bahasa Mandarin dan bahasa Jepang, karena dua negara ini adalah mitra dagang terbesar Australia. Lalu, Bahasa Indonesia, sebab Indonesia adalah tetangga terdekat Australia.

Lebih lanjut ia mengatakan sekarang adalah masa yang kritis bagi kesejahteraan Australia dengan cara mulai menciptakan sedikitnya separuh bangsa Australia bisa berbahasa Asia dalam waktu 30 tahun ke depan. "Masa depan kita adalah ekonomi berbasis pengetahuan yang berpusat di Asia, oleh karenanya penting buat kita untuk bergabung dengan ekonomi berbasis pengetahuan ini dengan infrastuktur manusia yang tepat, dan penting bila bisa berbicara dengan bahasa selain bahasa Inggris," ujar dia.

Laporan Michael mengusulkan strategi untuk Australia menguasai bahasa-bahasa Asia di tingkat universitas dan sekolah.

Strategi ini akan membuat institusi-institusi pendidikan di Australia berlomba mendapat dana dari institut nasional untuk bahasa Asia. Dan jumlah siswa yang belajar bahasa Mandarin, Jepang, atau Indonesia di pendidikan tingkat persiapan, sekolah dasar, dan sekolah menengah akan meningkat 100 persen dalam kurun 5 tahun ke depan.

Bila institusi pendidikan ini memenangkan dana tersebut, maka mereka harus memastikan bahwa semua siswa di atas kelas 1 SMA mendapat setidaknya 150 menit per pekan pelajaran bahasa Asia.

Setelah 15 tahun, bahasa-bahasa Asia yang diprioritaskan bakal bisa diperluas mencakupi bahasa Vietnam, Thailand, Persia, Bengali, Kamboja, Laos, dan Burma.

Michael mengutip prediksi dari Bank Dunia yang menyebutkan bahwa kawasan Asia-Pasifik adalah pemimpin dalam perkembangan ekonomi berbasis pengetahuan. Ia lalu mengaitkan kontras keadaan yang terjadi di Australia sekarang, di mana 75 persen penduduknya hanya bisa berbahasa Inggris.

Menurut dia, saat ini pusat-pusat ekonomi berbasis pengetahuan bukan berada di negara-negara yang berbahasa Inggris, melainkan di negara yang berkembang sangat pesat di kawasan Asia seperti China, Korea, Taiwan dan India. "Kebanyakan konsumen produk-produk pengetahuan akan membeli produk-produk berbahasa non-Inggris, dan akan mengembangkan produk-produk yang menggunakan bahasa lokal, itulah sebabnya hanya negara yang bisa menguasai kapasitas kelokalan yang akan mendapat untung," kata Michael.

Ketika ditanya mengapa bangsa Australia harus mempelajari bahasa Asia, ketika bahasa Inggris telah menjadi bahasa pengantar di dunia bisnis global, Michael justru menjadikan momentum ini sebagai argumen "kunci".

Ia menjelaskan, "Mempelajari bahasa asing adalah jalan tercepat untuk menunjukkan bahwa cara berpikir kita tentang dunia tidaklah universal, mempelajari bahasa asing akan membentuk kebudayaan kita."

Laporan dari Institut Asia Griffith ini menyerukan agar semua instansi pendidikan dijadikan target pembelajaran bahasa kedua, konsep ini lebih luas daripada program Pemerintahan PM Kevin Rudd yang hanya akan mengutamakan siswa di SMA.

Usul Michael Wesley ini mirip dengan beberapa langkah yang dicanangkan Pemerintah Australia tentang penggalakan bahasa Asia. Tapi di sisi lain pandangan Michael bertolak belakang dengan strategi bahasa yang diyakini oleh kalangan seperti Joe Lo Bianco dari Universitas Melbourne.

Lo Bianco berpendapat bahwa semestinya pelajaran bahasa di sekolah mengacu kepada asas keberimbangan, baik itu pragmatis (perdagangan dan keamanan) maupun humanistik (keingintahuan, budaya, pengembangan intelektual). "Australia harus belajar soal membedakan antara apa yang cocok diterapkan di sekolah-sekolah dan diterima oleh para siswa di satu pihak (kebijakan massal) dengan apa yang dibutuhkan oleh spesialis di lain pihak (kebijakan spesialisasi)," kata dia.

Ia menambahkan, "Mayoritas pelajar tidak akan terlibat dalam negosiasi dagang atau pembuatan kebijakan keamanan nasional."

"Pengajaran bahasa di sekolah seharusnya menjadi ajang awal bagaimana belajar bahasa secara sukses, kelas-kelas bahasa di universitas harusnya bisa menjadi pemacu intelektualitas dan disiplin, lalu spesialisasi bahasa di departemen-departemen pemerintah atau lembaga-lembaga lain semestinya mengajarkan spesialisasi bahasa setingkat lebih tinggi daripada universitas," katanya.

Michael Wesley kembali menegaskan bahwa Australia tidak bisa lagi bergantung kepada segelintir elite untuk bernegosiasi dengan dunia. Kemampuan berbahasa Asia harus diperluas demi kepastian lapangan pekerjaan pada masa yang akan datang.

INDONESIA NEGARA TERSENYUM PALING TINGGI

London, Beberapa media massa Swedia selama beberapa pekan terakhir ini menuliskan laporannya bahwa Indonesia berada di tingkat pertama dalam urutan negara dengan masyarakatnya tersenyum paling tinggi di dunia dibandingkan dengan negara lainnya.
Mengutip laporannya The Smiling Report 2009 yang dilakukan salah satu Provider Misteri Belanja yang berada di Swedia justru menempatkan masyarakat Swedia berada di urutan ke 24, ujar Sekretaris Satu KBRI Stockholm ,Swedia Dody Kusumonegoro kepada koresponden Antara London, Minggu.

Dalam jajak pendapat yang dilakukan tahun 2008 yang menyangkut lebih dari 2,5 juta pertanyaan mengenai Senyum (Smile) dan Salam (Add-Greeting) pada penjualan di 66 negara, Swedia menempatkan Indonesia pada bagian atas daftar. Media Swedia melaporkan Indonesia sebagai negara yang paling tersenyum sebagai hasil dari pelanggan layanan data dari evaluasi yang dilakukan di seluruh spektrum dan pameran oleh AB Bisnis di seluruh dunia, di Swedia.
Dalam laporan itu disebutkan Indonesia sebagai negara tertinggi tersenyum dengan 98 persen. Selain itu, Indonesia juga merupakan negara dengan ucapan yang paling tinggi yaitu 98 persen. Sementara itu Swedia berada di nomor 24 pada daftar untuk kategori senyum dengan angka 77 persen dan urutan 31 untuk ucapan salam dengan 81 persen.
Industri yang banyak senyum adalah di bidang kesehatan dan kecantikan perawatan serta transportasi dengan 86 persen dan nilai terendah berada di layanan bisnis B2B dengan hanya 52 persen.

Disebutkan bahwa dalam jajak pendapat itu disebutkan bahwa ucapan Salam tahun 2008 dan 2007 tercatat 81 persen dibandingkan dengan 88 persen pada 2004. Ucapan salam tertinggi selain Indonesia juga menempatkan Hong Kong dengan 98 persen, sementara yang terendah adalah Maroko dengan 48 persen.

Ucapan yang terbaik ditemukan pada layanan di pemerintahan dengan 94 persen sementara di kalangan bisnis (B2) hanya 70 persen. Dalam layanan penjualan skor tertinggi dicatat oleh Pakistan dengan 82 persen dan terendah adalah Finlandia dengan tiga persen. Dalam pelayanan B2B memiliki nilai tertinggi mencapai 65 persen sementara dalam segi kenyamanan tercatat sangat rendah dengan 40 persen.
Dalam laporan itu terdapat kesenjangan yang besar antara antara benua Australia memiliki skor tertinggi dari semua benua, dengan Senyum sebesar 89 persen dan Salam 92 persen sementara Afrika disebutkan terendah dengan 61 persen Senyum dan 51 persen Salam. (Antara, 18 May 2009)

Indonesia-Australia: Love thy quirky neighbors

Endy M. Bayuni , THE JAKARTA POST , SYDNEY | Fri, 02/20/2009 9:10 AM | Headlines

Blood may be thicker than water, but physical proximity oftentimes is far more important than even your immediate relatives. What good is a close relative who lives a distance away when you are in dire need of help?

Your next-door neighbors, by contrast, will always be there for you. In times of emergency, you have no one else to turn to but your neighbors. That is, of course, assuming that you get on well with them.

Relations between Indonesia and Australia in some ways are heading in this direction. Two neighbors who have had more than their share of rows are now determined to live more in the spirit of cooperation. Call it neighborliness. They know that their fates and fortunes are tied together because of their geographical proximity.

A two-day conference on Indonesian-Australian relations, which got underway Thursday in Sydney, seeks to broaden and deepen these ties. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will give the keynote address to the gathering that involves 60 people from both sides selected from the government, business sector and civil society.

The two giant neighboring countries could not be more different culturally, historically, politically and economically. Because of this, relations between the two countries have had a checkered past, or what Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda describes as being marked by “sudden ups, and sudden downs”.

But geography has destined us to be together, like it or not, in good times and bad. It’s not something that either side can change.

At times, we are even in denial of our close proximity, preferring to foster relations with more distant countries in the pursuit of our respective national interests, primarily because they are more like us. Indonesia forged close links with Japan, and Australia has retained its European links and identity.

Many times in the past, our differences were what kept us apart, in spite of our status as next-door neighbors. Our prejudices of the other, more defined by our perceived differences, have often become the sources of tension and conflict that got in the way of the broader relations.

The “sudden downs” in the past included East Timor (Indonesia’s handling or Australia’s meddling), terrorism and the Islam factor, human trafficking, traditional fishing (or illegal fishing in Canberra’s view), Papua asylum seekers, a certain Schapelle Corby, and nine Australians on death row for drug trafficking.

More often than not, it’s the bad times or tragedies that brought the two nations closer, providing the “sudden ups”, like the 2002 Bali bombing and the ensuing collaboration to fight terrorism, the Aceh tsunami and other natural disasters since then. One must not forget that Australia in the late 1940s helped newly independent Indonesia’s diplomatic campaign for international recognition.

In the past, government officials on both sides of the border have tended to put cultural differences as the main dividing factor.

The prevailing view in Australia (at least in Canberra) is that Indonesians are very sensitive and don’t take criticism from people of different cultures lightly, and often react erratically. The prevailing view in Indonesia (again, Jakarta politicians) is that Australians are coarse and arrogant, and even racist.

These views of the other led to the culturally sensitive diplomacy pursued by Australia in dealing with Indonesia in the 1990s. Prime Minister Paul Keating exemplified this when he coddled up to president Soeharto in the 1990s, referring to him always as Bapak (Sir).

But what Australians took as cultural sensitivity was really a cloak for intolerance to criticism on the part of Indonesians, if not a cover for our inferiority complex.

Fortunately, things have changed considerably in Indonesia since the departure of Soeharto from power in 1998. Today, it is a much more open society and more confident, but while we may still have our hang-ups, our leaders today are far more open to criticism.

Another factor that opens the way for warmer relations is that East Timor has been taken out of the equation. This was an issue that often jeopardized the entire relationship between Indonesia and Australia for more than two decades.

Today, Indonesia and Australia can pursue a more balanced and comprehensive relationship, helped by the changing attitude on both sides of the divide.

The leaders of the two countries at least are already feeling comfortable with each other. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has met with Kevin Rudd seven times since late 2007, and their foreign ministers Hassan Wirajuda and Stephen Smith, six times. They are already at the stage of what Hassan describes as “we can just pick up the phone”.

There is still room for improvement in the trade and investment areas and there is definitely plenty of work to promote what officials refer to as “people-to-people links”.

In education, for example, some 19,000 Indonesians study in Australia, while only 150 Australians study in Indonesia. The teaching of Indonesian has only just been reinvigorated in Australian schools, and it has to compete against the more popular Asian languages like Chinese and Japanese.

Public perceptions of the other, both in Australia and Indonesia, take a little longer to change. Many of the old prejudices and stereotyping remain. Many Australians still see Indonesia as a country governed by the military, where crazy Islamic terrorists roam free. Many Indonesians, for their part, still see Australia as essentially a white European nation.

This will be the job of the media and other shapers of public opinion in both countries to inform about the changes that have taken place. While the two countries are still very different in many respects, they at least now share similar values when it comes to democracy, freedom, human rights, and cultural tolerance.

No doubt the two countries will continue to have differences of opinions on many issues, but with the changing attitude, particularly in Indonesia, the two nations are far more at ease with each other than they have been in the past. They know that in times of crisis and emergency, they can turn to each other like two good neighbors.


(The writer is chief editor of The Jakarta Post, and a participant at the Australia-Indonesian Conference in Sydney Feb. 19-21. HS 2009)

Enhancing School Link: Weeroona and Ciputat

During the Easter Holidays Miss Andrea Jones and Ms Robyn Elmi made the journey to Indonesia to formalise a Sister-School Relationship between WCB and SMA Negeri Ciputat 2. This school is located in Tangerang, Banten Province, Java which is about one and half hours drive west of the capital city of Jakarta.

Mr. Herli Salim, the Indonesian school's mediator and an Indonesian citizen who is also a doctoral student at Deakin University, acted as a mediator to help set up the relationship between the two schools. Mr Ibni Affan, a teacher from SMA Negeri 2 Ciputat, Tangerang, coordinated and developed the program in the school.

Miss Andrea Jones and Ms Robyn Elmi were warmly welcomed to the school with an official Welcoming Ceremony which included a traditional gamelan orchestra and dance performance. During their stay, Miss Jones and Ms Elmi ran an English and Art Workshop for the senior students and participated in English, Indonesian, Art and Music classes. The Indonesian students were delighted to be presented with creative, Australian themed bookmarks, as well as letters with gifts that were prepared by students from WCB. Both schools strongly believe that communicating with real people will strongly motivate our respective students to pursue their language studies and they look forward to continuing to build a strong on-going relationship that is beneficial to students and staff at both schools.

In her electronic messages, Ms Robyn Elmi says, “Good news, our school has been awarded a small grant from ‘a certain resource’ to support SMA Negeri 2 Ciputat visit to Weeroona CB this year”. It is true that at the moment, SMA Negeri 2 Ciputat is arranging a visit to Weeroona. At least three people are confirmed to come. Two people are from the school and one from the department of education Tangerang Selatan City.

During their visit, they plan to visit Weeroona College Bendigo to strengthen the educational relationship and also to pay ‘a returned visit’ that two Weeroona teachers made to Ciputat during the last Easter holiday. The delegation plans to have a series of meetingswith the following people: President VILTA, LOTE Co-ordinator with the Department of Education and Early Childhood in Melbourne, as well as, a meeting with the Indonesian Consulate. It is hoped the visit will develop further the mutual relationship and understanding through education between Indonesia and Australia.

Weeroona College is looking forward to the visit of our Indonesian friends and colleagues. The school is working towards providing a suitable program for them and looks forward to extending a warm welcome to these special guests. (compiled by HS and RE).

FAREWELL DINNER

Pak Dedi and his family took us out to dinner on our final evening in Indonesia. I don't think Andy and I have laughed so much for a very long time!!! Thank you Pak Dedi, we hope to see you in Bendigo later in the year.

AFTERNOON TEA

Afternoon tea with Pak Afan and his family. Pak Afan did a wonderful job of organising our program throughout our stay. We appreciated the many long hours and hard work he put in to ensure our program ran smoothly. We found out very early on too, that he enjoys a good joke.