Enhancing Capabilities of Indonesian Early Childhood Educators to Uplift Children in West Java

22 July 2021

Enhancing Capabilities of Indonesian Early Childhood Educators to Uplift Children in West Java

The first Singapore-Indonesia project in Early Childhood Education benefits more than 11,000 people in West Java.

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“After applying new teaching techniques during storytelling sessions, the children are now more focused and curious. Reading classes are now more interactive with increased dialogues between teacher and children. I also received feedback from parents that they had seen positive changes in their children at home,” said Ms Novi Andriyati, a teacher from Putra III Kindergarten in Banjar City, West Java.

Ms Andriyati was one of the participants from the Singapore International Foundation's (SIF) Early Childhood Education Project in Bandung. This is the SIF’s first Early Childhood Education (ECE) initiative in Indonesia, organised in partnership with the Indonesian Kindergarten Teachers Association (IGTKI) West Java and the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).

The two-year project, which concluded on 5 July 2021, sought to enhance the capabilities of early childhood educators in West Java. A team of Singapore International Volunteers (SIVs) comprising faculty members from the ECE programme in SUSS collaborated with their Indonesian peers and shared knowledge, skills, and experience.

Through a series of training-of-trainers workshops and a symposium, 61 Indonesian ECE practitioners were trained as Master Trainers. They have since trained 300 other teachers from 51 kindergartens, creating wider, sustainable impact on their local communities. Overall, the project benefitted more than 11,000 members of the Indonesian community, including students, parents, and caregivers.

The Singapore International Foundation (SIF), Indonesian Kindergarten Teachers Association (IGTKI) of West Java and the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) successfully concluded a two-year capacity-building initiative titled Early Childhood Education Project at a virtual closing ceremony on 5 July 2021.
A graphic recording, in Bahasa Indonesia, of the closing ceremony illustrates participants’ highlights from the project and how they have implemented the learnings in their classrooms. Some participants held workshops for their students’ parents to share their newly acquired storytelling techniques to strengthen the parent-child bond.
The Indonesian participants became more IT-savvy and could use new online tools when conducting workshops for their peers.
Ms Renni Kusnaeni and Ms Heni Fitriani, Chair and Co-Chair, IGTKI West Java chapter respectively, were delighted at how the teachers have blossomed, their work performance have improved and they are now more analytical following their discussions and engagement with the SIVs.
The SIVs from SUSS shared how they were inspired and energised by the enthusiasm and dedication of the teachers, especially during the five-day online workshops. For example, SIV Associate Professor Sirene May-Yin Lim from SUSS said, “I have never met a more spirited group of educators in my life.”
The Early Childhood Education Project was launched in 2019 in Bandung, West Java. Singaporean and Indonesian educators collaborated over a series of workshops and a symposium.
SIV Associate Professor Sirene May-Yin Lim from SUSS (standing) bonding and exchanging knowledge with Indonesian ECE specialists from IGTKI West Java during a training workshop in 2019.
The Indonesian trainees engaging in a short ice-breaking activity during a physical training-of-trainers workshop in 2019. Due to the travel restrictions implemented since 2020, the subsequent training activities moved online.