The presence of international schools in big cities provides more alternatives for parents to send their children to school. However, before deciding to enroll your children in these schools, you, as parents, need to know the difference between international schools and national schools that we know so far.

5 Differences between International Schools and National Schools

Judging from the name alone, it is clear that international schools and national schools have differences. However, maybe you don't know in detail what the differences are. Knowing this difference is very important because it will affect your child's learning process at the school. Here's the review.

1. The Curriculum Used

National schools use a curriculum prepared by the government. This national curriculum was formulated by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Indonesia and is compulsory for use by both public and private schools. Apart from the knowledge aspect, the national education curriculum was also created with the aim of equipping students with good skills and attitudes.

Meanwhile, as the name implies, international schools apply an international-based curriculum. The two most widely used curricula are Cambridge International Examination (CIE) and International Baccalaureate (IB). Because it uses an international curriculum, teachers in this school must also have competencies that are in accordance with applicable standards.

2. Language of instruction

Most international schools use English as their daily language of instruction. In addition, there are also international schools that use other languages, such as Mandarin and German. With teachers who are native speakers, the students' language skills will be better honed.

In accordance with the national curriculum, the language of instruction used in national schools is Indonesian. English in national schools is only one subject with a small portion. However, there are also private schools that use English as a second language after Indonesian.

3. Examination System

In national schools, our children recognize midterm exams (UTS) and final semester exams (UAS) as tools to evaluate the success of the teaching and learning process.

In international schools, in addition to having to take the UAS and UTS, students also have to take an official exam from the IB or CIE according to the curriculum used. However, this international exam is only conducted when entering level 12.

4. Learning Methods

The difference that is very striking between international schools and ordinary schools is in terms of learning methods. The number of subjects taught in the international school is less, consisting only of English, mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and a few elective subjects.

On the other hand, in national schools, students must accept and master more subjects. Apart from the aforementioned main subjects, there are also sports, skills, arts education, and social sciences which are mandatory for students. In addition, there are lessons known as local content which are tailored to the location of the school.

5. Facilities and Infrastructure

The cost of education in international schools is indeed very expensive, but it is proportional to the quality and facilities provided for ideal teaching and learning activities.

This condition is of course very different from national schools, especially public schools. In public schools, school facilities depend on education funds budgeted by the government, while facilities in private schools depend on foundation funds, parental participation, and CSR.

Adequate educational facilities can be found not only in international schools, but also in inclusive schools. In this type of school, the provision of learning facilities and infrastructure is tailored to the needs, learning styles, interests and talents of the child. Thus, the potential of each child will be maximized.

Why are facilities so important? In this school, every child has the right to get the best education, including ABK (children with special needs). Very interesting, right? So, for those of you who have school-age children, it is only natural that you know the information about inclusion schools. So, don't hesitate to look for reliable references about this one school.