“Our school has been appointed by the central government to become an international standard school. Could you please help us in achieving this goal?”

Helping Teachers Upgrade English Skills

SEEDS, in partnership with the Indonesian non-profit organization Pendar Pagi, is currently providing assistance in addressing a critical need expressed by numerous schools throughout the Riau province on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The central government has selected secondary education schools throughout the province to undergo an application process to become what are termed “international standard” schools. One of the qualifying criteria is that the school’s educational and administrative staff be capable of performing many of their daily tasks in English, from classroom teaching to welcoming visitors at the security gate.

Pendar Pagi Riau currently has two educational consultants provided by SEEDS that are engaged in yearly renewable contracts with several high schools. Their training sessions apply some of the latest methodology in adult education, such as student-driven learning, with the goal of giving participants confidence in using English within their work context, as well as empowering them to set and achieve their own learning goals. Both consultants have several years of experience in providing adult education in Riau, and are highly motivated to see this project bring about a positive and lasting impact upon the educational institutions of Riau. Both consultants agree, however, that one of the most rewarding things about this project has been the friendships that have developed with staff from the various schools!

Teaching English to Prison Inmates

A SEEDS worker has been teaching English at a prison in the Riau Province once a week to juvenile male offenders and women inmates. She writes about the program:

We have the privilege to invest into people with a broken past and give them new hope through dignity, confidence-building, skills and social learning opportunities in a group setting. The English class at the prison offers valuable social learning opportunities with hopefully lasting impact. English skills open up better job opportunities and in that way improves economic lives.