Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government is considering combining its existing education system with a more nature-oriented method currently being applied at the renowned informal school Sokola Rimba.
On Thursday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met with Sokola Rimba founder Butet Manurung and teachers from the school to discuss the matter.
"The President said the method adopted by Sokola Rimba should be applied at other schools as well. He also suggested the method be expanded and combined with the current education system," Butet said after the meeting at the presidential office.
Butet and her colleagues established Sokola Rimba in 2003, with the aim of teaching remote tribal people in Jambi province how to read, write and count.
The informal school now has branches in Aceh; Makassar in South Sulawesi; Flores and Bulukumba in East Nusa Tenggara; Garut in West Java; Yogyakarta; Klaten in Central Java, and Halmahera in North Maluku.
"We have a mission to broaden this kind of education method, and we hope more young people will volunteer as teachers in remote areas," Butet said.
National Education Minister Bambang Sudibyo said his office would evaluate the method in line with the principle of "education for all".
"The best method of learning is not always created by the government. If the method applied by Sokola Rimba proves effective, we will standardize it and provide more assistance for such informal schools," he said.
The minister added the current education system, which recognizes both formal and informal schools, did not yet reach everyone in the country, especially tribal people and others in remote areas.
During the meeting, the President offered Sokola Rimba a Rp 200 million grant.
Yudhoyono invited Butet and her colleagues after reading a recent article in the Kompas daily about the school, said presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng.
The article said Sokola Rimba was forced to close down two of its schools -- one on the Flores coast and the other in the forests of Halmahera -- because of financial constraints.
Butet said she was unaware of the article and was surprised the President had invited them and offered the grant.
"We thank the President for this... We will use the money to renovate our schools in Flores and Halmahera," she said.
The school will hold further discussions with the education ministry's Directorate General for Special School Service on any future collaboration, Butet added.
