Highlights from the Last Quarter
Annual Report Released
Our 2022-2023 annual report has been released, shedding light on the impact we had during the last financial year. In addition to highlighting overall achievements, the report features compelling personal stories that underscore the transformative power of education- for students, parents, educators and the wider community. You can have a read of it here.
Expanding our Reach into Lingga
We are thrilled to announce the expansion of our educational outreach into Lingga, a region of island communities south of Bintan. Since the conclusion of last year, we have been conducting Teacher Training sessions in this area, which has been identified as a location in need of enhanced educational quality. This quarter marked the second of four teacher training sessions conducted in Lingga, with 47 primary school teachers participating. Listen to how our course facilitators and participants felt about the experience in this video.
Student Reports Rollout
In our commitment to holistic education, we have revamped our student reporting system. We have always stayed away from traditional grading methods in an effort to avoid the limitations of placing students in rigid categories. Instead, we focus on what we value as essential soft skills- the 4Cs: Communication, Critical Thinking, Collaboration and Creativity. With this in mind, our recently launched report cards provide parents with personal qualitative feedback, information about the topics covered and showcase students' work through photos. This quarter, we delivered reports to 541 parents, and we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with the majority expressing satisfaction with the new approach. Furthermore, mid-year assessments conducted by our Learning Facilitators and Coordinators revealed that 82% of students demonstrated progress against our 4Cs rubric.
Evolve Performing Arts Workshop
In January, we had the privilege of hosting a drama workshop facilitated by Evolve School of Performing Arts. Coming all the way from Singapore, the Evolve team shares our dedication to nurturing vital soft skills in students. The workshop provided 127 of our High Grade students with the opportunity to express themselves in new ways and work on their confidence. The cohort were divided into smaller groups to collaboratively create elements of a larger performance piece. With 69 parents in attendance to witness their children's creative endeavors, the workshop was a resounding success. Watch the highlights video here.
Sports Days
The spirit of athleticism and camaraderie was alive and thriving during our recent Sports Days held in Tenggel and Kawal. With the participation of three Learning Centers in Tenggel and four in Kawal, the events brought together a total of 105 and 143 students respectively. Accompanied by supportive parents, the Sports Days were filled with energy and excitement, fostering a sense of community and healthy competition.
Awards
This quarter, our team in Indonesia was proud to receive a certificate of appreciation from our provincial government partner- the Education Quality Assurance Agency (BPMP) in Riau Island (Kepri). Our partnership with BPMP Kepri started last year and they have been a key component in helping us successfully implement our local teacher training program in Kepulauan Riau.
We were also delighted to see that our Executive Director, Courtney Saville, was recognised for her dedication, passion and significant contributions to Arts, Culture & Education at the Melbourne Asia Game Changer Awards 2023. For the last four years, Courtney has been instrumental in transforming our strategy, developing and implementing our framework and maximising our impact. This award is well deserved- her work here has been truly 'game changing' and we're so grateful for everything she has helped us achieve.
Welcoming Johanes Jamil
We are excited to welcome Johanes Jamil to our program team! Johanes is proudly Orang Suku Laut, and has joined as Learning Facilitator. With familial and cultural ties throughout Bintan and Lingga Regencies, and a clear passion for education, Johanes brings with him a wealth of knowledge, energy and enthusiasm. Together with Tintin, we are excited for Johanes to help us be more collaborative with, and representative of, our diverse partner communities.
Case Study
Bintan Local Teacher Training participant, Ibu Sanisah, S.Pd, works as a primary school teacher in Kijang, in the southeast of Bintan Regency. Ibu Sanisah joined four, three day training workshops throughout 2023 and was an active and engaged participant, demonstrating a real desire to improve the quality of learning opportunities and outcomes for her students. After completing the program, Ibu Sanisah volunteered to design and deliver training for 20 of her colleagues and four teachers from neighbouring schools.
Ibu Sanisah’s training was initiated and supported by her school’s principal and was well received by her colleagues, in large part due to teachers rarely having the opportunity for in-person training. Ibu Sanisah said, “Suggestions and input from the principal made me feel confident that the knowledge I had gained (during the training) would be developed further at school. My hope now is that we can implement what we’ve learnt for our students, so that they are more happy and engaged in learning.”