South Central Timor, 23 April 2024 – a new MOU has been inked today to strengthen education and training in South Central Timor, East Nusa Tenggara. Bakti Barito Foundation through Yayasan Bakti Pendidikan Unggul (YBPU) has officially signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the district of South Central Timor (TTS). This partnership marks the expansion of the STiR programme within the East Nusa Tenggara province, now encompassing its second district.
The collaboration between Bakti Barito Foundation, STiR Education, and TTS district represents a significant step towards enhancing educational capacities within the region. Targeting educators across Primary Schools (SD) district-wide, this partnership aims to empower teachers, school principals, and supervisors. The focus specifically lies on cultivating instructional leadership among school supervisors and principals, thereby fostering professional learning communities for teachers (locally known as Komunitas Belajar in Indonesia).
This initiative takes on greater importance with the implementation of the Kurikulum Merdeka (Emancipated Curriculum), which has been formally adopted as Indonesia’s national curriculum since March 2024. The collaboration empowers school supervisors and principals to offer essential classroom-based support, a key factor for the curriculum’s successful execution. This effort is anticipated to enhance the educational quality across the district.
Yoni Nurdiansyah, the Executive Director of STiR in Indonesia, witnessed the MOU signing in TTS. “We are embarking on a transformative path that will strengthen the capabilities of our educators across primary school in TTS. We are deeply committed to working with the government and the Education Agency to cultivate a network of instructional leaders and learning communities (Komunitas Belajar) which will serve as a beacon of professional development for teachers, principals, and supervisors in TTS”
The Head of the TTS Education Agency, Musa Benu, SH, concurred, stating, “The programme is designed to involve all educational stakeholders in TTS—from the Education Agency to supervisors, school principals, and teachers—in a unified effort to continuously enhance student learning. This comprehensive approach to the programme is the first of its kind in TTS.’”
Dian A. Purbasari, Director of Bakti Barito Foundation said, “Our partnership with the TTS district signals a dedicated commitment to elevate educational standards and foster a culture of professional growth among educators. Together, we embark on a transformative journey to empower teachers, principals, and supervisors, ensuring that every child in South Central Timor receives the quality education they deserve.”