Figure 1.-- This photograph shows a group of students at a Dutch school in 1960-61. I think this meant a private school in which the language of instruction was Dutch. We note both Dutch and Indonesian students at the school. The photo was taken in Manokwari, Indonesia. It shows a 6th grade class at Klim en Daal Skool, a Dutch school.

Looking at individual schools provides intetesting glimses at Indonesian education over time. We have very little information on individual schools. A reader mentions a Dutch school after independence. A photograph shows a group of students at a Dutch school in 1960-61. I think this meant a private school in which the language of instruction was Dutch. We note both Dutch and Indonesian students at the school.

Klim en Daal Skool (Irian)

This photograph shows a group of students at a Dutch school in 1960-61. We think this meant a private school in which the language of instruction was Dutch. We note both Dutch and Indonesian students at the school. The photo was taken in Manokwari, Indonesia. It shows a 6th grade class (6B) at Klim en Daal Skool, a Dutch school. A Dutch reader writes, "This could very well be a private Dutch school. The name is strange: Klim en Daal. That means Ascend and Descend. Manokwari is in the far east of Indonesia -- formerly Irian, or Dutch west New Guina. After Indonesia became independent in 1949 the Dutch did not want to give up their part of New Guinea, claiming that people and culture were not Indonesian. After an intense struggle all Dutch citizens were forced to leave the country in 1958 and a few years later Irian was annexed by Indonesia. The Papua population however, will never become Indonesian." A few may have stayed. We see some Dutch children here along with many mixed race children, including Indonesians, Papuans, and Chinese.

Pikhe Village School (West Papua)

The photo was taken in 1979 in Pikhe village, West Papua. This is one of the two provinces od Indonesian western New Guinea, formerly known as Irian Jaya Barat (West Irian),. This is the local school. It looks like an all-boys class. The school is very basic. We don't see any books. The boys look like ofer orimary-age children. We don;t kmow hw mny years of scooling they have had. At the time most New Guina boys attnded sdchool wearing only their minamilist sheaths. Some of the boys wear only casual garments. We do not know if poverty waas involved here. One report says that many still saw clothing as something degrading and the nakedness as an expression of dignity. Clearly this was not just older people that had this attitude. Indonesia was one of the many nwly independent nations that afopted socialist policies an autocratic rule. As a result, little progress was made in developing a prosperous economy and a well-funded public school system. This was especially the case of Indonesian New Guina which was still very primative.

Created: 3:14 AM 3/13/2010
Last updated: 12:14 AM 10/13/2023