Indonesia Mengajar: An Investment in Hope

• In Event: Three Dozen Countries and Counting: Teach For All's Global Influence on Teacher Recruitment and Training

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to explore similarities and differences between the origins, aims, and operation of Indonesia Mengajar (IM) and Teach For All (TFAll). The movement Indonesia Mengajar (IM), or Indonesia Teaches, began in 2010 with the dual aim of addressing teacher shortage in remote primary schools in Indonesia, and at the same time, equipping future leaders with “world class competence and grass roots understanding” by exposing them to the realities of life and education in remote parts of the country (Indonesia Mengajar, 2015). In its attempt to address problems of educational quality and equity by recruiting and sending the “best and brightest” to serve disadvantaged populations, IM shares many features with the TFAll network of organizations. Using a highly selective and rigorous recruitment process, IM has sent more than 500 promising young candidates to serve as schoolteachers in remote communities for a one-year teaching commitment. These “Young Teachers” are tasked to teach children while inspiring and mobilizing the community towards further progress (the organization’s motto is “Teach for a year, inspire for a lifetime”). Yet in contrast to members of the TFAll network, IM does not claim affiliation or kinship with the “global brands” of Teach for All or Teach for America.

Theoretical Lens: This paper will utilize the policy-borrowing framework proposed by Steiner-Khamsi (2004). In addition, this paper will also adapt the framework outlined by Cumsille and Fiszbein (2015) to examine the organization’s strategy for: 1) recruitment and selection, 2) training and development, and 3) placement.

Research questions: Why, despite many apparent similarities with TFAll, does IM not state an explicit connection to the global Teach For All network?

Methods/data: We will conduct 20-30 semi-structured interviews with staff members, current teachers, and IM alumni, each lasting approximately 30-45 minutes. Due to the locations of the interviewees, most of the interviews will be conducted remotely online.

Results & Conclusions: Results from the comparisons will shed light on both the attractions and disadvantages of aligning with the global TFAll network, and may provide strategies and best practices that will help to increase the impact and effectiveness of both IM and TFAll.

Scholarly significance: Despite its rapid expansion across Indonesia, no scholarly articles or studies have been published on IM. This study fills the gap in literature not only by providing an account of the origins, aims, and operation of the organization, but also by connecting it to the larger TFAll growth taking place across the globe.

References:
Cumsille, B., & Fiszbein, A. (2015). Creme de la creme: The Teach for All experience and its lessons for policy-making in Latin America. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 23(46), 1–23.
Indonesia Mengajar. (2015). Indonesia Mengajar: Visi dan Misi. Retrieved July 17, 2015, from https://indonesiamengajar.org/tentang-indonesia-mengajar/visi-dan-misi/
Steiner-Khamsi, G. (Ed.). (2004). The global politics of educational borrowing and lending. New York: Columbia University Teachers College Press.
World Bank. (2014). World Bank and education in Indonesia. Retrieved from http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/indonesia/brief/world-bank-and-education-in-indonesia

Authors

• Charlina Gozali, Claremont Graduate University

• Thomas F. Luschei, Claremont Graduate University

• Hanni Yukamana, PGRI University of Palembang