Twinning and Immersion Programme With SMAN 71

From 28th to 30th July, a group of 21 students and 4 teachers from SMAN 71, Jakarta, Indonesia, visited Nanyang JC for an exchange programme with the school’s Malay Cultural Society (MLCS). Each student was paired with a MLCS member, and attended lessons at NYJC for two days, before attending a workshop on the third.

(From Left to Right)Me with my buddy, Sarah Fatia Fauzia from SMAN 71

Being a member of the MLCS as well, I was given the opportunity to interact with the Indonesian students. It was certainly good practice for me to converse in Malay as I gave my buddy a tour around the school and briefly explained what we were learning in our lessons. I enjoyed myself learning how to speak the Indonesian language too, as did most of the other members of the MLCS. Taking the Indonesian students around the school to meet our own friends was also good practice for them to converse in English. Most of our students were fascinated by their uniforms, especially the jackets that they wore to morning assembly. It is also interesting to note that all schools in Indonesia require students to wear a white top and blue bottom.

Taking my buddy to my lessons was interesting, as I was able to observe her every reaction throughout the course of the lessons. She was intrigued by how far we have gone in the Mathematics lessons. Being a Science student in her school, she admitted that it was indeed a very different experience for her to observe Literature and History lessons in Singapore.

The entire trip was not just work but included some playtime as well. The group from SMAN 71 were allowed to leave the college at 3pm during the first two days and the MLCS members took the opportunity to bring them out to Singapore’s shopping malls. The recreational time certainly bonded us closer

In general, it really was a wonderful experience to meet students hailing from foreign countries and it is even nicer to make friends with them while allowing opportunities to learn about the education system and teaching methods in Indonesia. The students were really a bunch of friendly people and the MLCS certainly looks forward to our visit to Jakarta at the end of the year.

Written by: Farah Ismail