A Letter to Mendiknas

Dear Prof. Dr. Bambang Sudibyo,
Minister of National Education Indonesia
Jakarta


We are delighted to let you know that SMA Negeri 1 Serang, Banten has just recently established an educational link and cooperation program with Mac Robertson Girls High School and Melbourne High School in Melbourne Australia. Mac Robertson Girls High School is a prestigious school was found in 1932. The school has very outstanding program for girls and it is a single sex education. Meanwhile, Melbourne High school is also an outstanding school for boys. This school was found in 1936. Many Australian respectful citizen graduated from this school. Therefore, SMA Negeri 1 Serang’s program, as you may be aware of has conducted their paramount program to make their school program meets international standard which stipulates in Educational Laws No 20/2003.


The Serang education delegates was lead by Bapak Drs. Aziz Haidir which is the Principal of SMA Negeri 1 Serang. He was accompanied by two teachers relating with the department of international affairs (RSBI). Drs. Asep Nugrahajaya is also sent by the Serang Regency Department of National Education, one representative from parents association. The delegate arrived in Melbourne, they were welcome by Ibu Mona,education councilor from Consul General RI Melbourne, at Mac Rob. The school and parents have to pay for their own cost. There are also 5 girls resided at Mac Robertson Girls High School and 5 boys to be placed in Melbourne High School. The students studied a few days shadowing their Australian mates and then they spent a few nights home stay with the Australian family. The students learnt a number of subject during shadowing their mates and learnt how to communicate in English in the real situation.

SMA Negeri 1 Serang and Mac Robertson has reached an agreement to make educational cooperation to further develop kinds of educational cooperation in the future. The agreement was officially signed at consul general office at 17 October 2008 and witnessed by Consul General as well. At that time, SMA Negeri 1 Serang students and Mac Robertson Girls High School held farewell party where students performed cultural songs and dances.

This program is supervised by Bapak Herli Salim who is an Indonesian and doctoral students at Deakin University. During his study, he lives in Melbourne. He works as a lecturer at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Serang Campus, Banten, Indonesia. The Serang delegates is also assisted by Dr. Peter Waterworth. He is Australian and formerly a Deakin University lecturer. He has been traveling to Indonesia and conducting seminars in a number of cities including Serang. Both of us play as schools’ mediator for each of our countries, in order to facilitating the process of establishing link and cooperation, and offer special assistance to make the process of initiating cooperation runs smoothly.

A number of institution support this educational activities: Victorian Indonesian Language Teachers Association ( VILTA). Co-ordinator for Indonesian LOTE for Victoria, Indonesian Society Association in Victoria ( Perwira) and as well as Consul General RI in Melbourne. Currently, we receive so many enquires from the Victorian school principals to establish link with the Indonesian schools (Posted by PW and HS, 27 Nov 08 to Mendiknas in Jakarata)