This case study on the BRIDGE partnership of MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda and Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School, Victoria explores how a school partnership affects inclusive education practice, particularly in the Indonesian partner school.
Names of Schools: Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali, Indonesia; and Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School, Victoria, Australia
Case Study Topic: Partnering for disability inclusion
Date of Case Study: June-August 2024
Contents
Introduction
This is the first of a series of case studies on the Australia – Indonesia BRIDGE School Partnerships Program, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The case study on MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda and Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School explores how a school partnership affects inclusive education practice, particularly in the Indonesian partner school.
The case study examines outcomes of the partnership to help the BRIDGE program team understand effective strategies to promote inclusive education and where Asia Education Foundation (AEF) can further support other schools to be more inclusive.
Approach
Data collection for this case study was conducted during the third week of May 2024. The process began with a scan of documentation and discussions with the BRIDGE team about potential candidates and existing evidence. The partnership between MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda and Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School was chosen as it has provided several examples of inclusive educational collaboration.
Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with key informants, conducted in person with Indonesian respondents and online with Australian respondents.
In total, 10 respondents (female: 7, male: 3) participated in the interviews, including eight teachers from Indonesia and two from Australia. A detailed list of informants is provided in Annex 1. Interview documentation was analysed to identify relevant themes for the case study report using NVivo.
School profiles
MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali is a primary Islamic school founded in 2018 and registered with the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The school is committed to providing a holistic, character-based education that combines academic excellence with values-based learning to prepare students for the global community. MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali is an inclusive school that welcomes students of all backgrounds and abilities, including students with disability.
Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School (P-6) began teaching Indonesian four years ago and were looking for ways to boost students’ motivation and connection to Indonesia. The school hopes to build relationships with Indonesia and promote awareness and understanding of the value of Indonesia as a country.
Partnership history
Year | Activity |
2021 |
|
2022 |
|
2023 |
|
2024 |
|
Findings
Focusing on inclusive education
MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali was selected by the Ministry of Religious Affairs as an Inclusive Islamic School. As one of the selected schools, teachers from MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali received several training sessions on inclusive education from the Ministry, however additional support was needed to improve inclusion.
The partnership with Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School has helped strengthen the knowledge and practice of inclusive education at MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali.
Although not the initial goal of the partnership, as it progressed, the schools increased their collaboration to promote better inclusive education, particularly for the Indonesian partner school. When BRIDGE teachers from Indonesia visited the partner school in Australia, they focused on observing how inclusive education is implemented there.
In turn, when the Australian partner school visited Indonesia, the teachers delivered an inclusive education training. This provided a mutual learning experience, which enabled the teachers from Australia to better understand the Indonesian education system and context. One teacher stated:
“We didn't really have that strong understanding until we went there (Indonesia)… Good experience as well to be able to discuss our partnership and what that looks like in terms of supports that we could suggest or offer to make sure that it was culturally appropriate.”
While the Australian school used its grant to travel to Indonesia, the Indonesian school used the funds to upgrade its inclusive room. With the additional budget from the BRIDGE Program and after consultations with the Australian partner, AEF, the Indonesian school purchased additional facilities to assist children with disability.
In addition to the partnership Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School, MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali also participated in the Educator Workshop on GEDSI to connect disability issues with broader themes of gender and social inclusion.
This finding contributes to outcomes: 1.2 BRIDGE incentives (CGS; LPS; EW)
effectively promote long term partnerships; 1.4 Australian / Indonesian school
partners effectively promote GEDSI in their work; and 3.2 Participating Indonesian educators have positive experiences during in-country visits.
Improving inclusive education understanding and practices
As a result, the Indonesian BRIDGE teachers have a better understanding of inclusive education and the benefits of including students with disability in mainstream classes.
Prior to the partnership, students with disability at MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali were taught together rather than integrated into the mainstream classroom. This new understanding has changed the way the school includes students with disability.
After several discussions with their Australian partner, the principal is working together with teachers to provide more inclusive learning experiences for all students by integrating students with disability into mainstream classes.
To achieve an effective learning experience in the mainstream classes, the Indonesian teachers tailor their teaching strategies to the needs and abilities of each individual student – a practice known as “differentiated teaching”. Through this practice, the teachers modify both their instructional delivery and their assessment. A special needs teacher at MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali mentioned:
“When needed, I adjusted the learning objectives and targets for students with disability. For example, I reduced the number of questions students must work [on] or simplified the questions.”
During the interview, the Australian teachers commented on inclusive practice they witnessed during their visit to Indonesia:
“They already had lots of students in their classroom with particular neurodivergent behaviours, even though there was no diagnosis there, and to recognise that they did have some of those social inclusion behaviours already in place.”
“They dealt with them all the time. They had the differentiation practice. They were very, very good at it.”
This finding contributes to outcomes: 2.1 Participating educators (women and men) have improved pedagogical competencies; 2.2 Participating educators have increased knowledge of pedagogical strategies and confidence to apply these strategies in their own classroom / school environment; and 2.3 Participating educators develop and implement GEDSI strategies and plans in their schools.
Better supporting students with disability
With the support from the BRIDGE team and their partner, Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic, MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali has more resources and understanding to ensure that students with disability are better supported. They collaborate with other school members, including students and parents, as well as professional psychologists to provide a safe and inclusive environment for all children, including students with disabilities.
The principal and teachers at the school continually emphasise to parents and students that their school is inclusive of students from different backgrounds, and that all children have the same rights, regardless of ability.
Interviews with two parents of children with disability suggest that their children have made progress while studying at MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali.
One parent noted that her child has shown significant improvement since transferring to the school, which has helped her child become more emotionally stable and improve in following instructions. Another parent of a
child with ADHD reported:
“The school environment at MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda is safe for our kid. It does not easily distract my child and has no potential for bullying.”
Both parents appreciated teachers’ efforts to ensure a supportive environment for their children. They collaborated with the school and a psychologist to improve treatment and learning for the students, ensuring that what they learn at school can be continued at home.
Key stakeholders who have visited the school have also expressed their appreciation to MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali, including the District Education Office and the Ministry of Religious Affairs, who have observed the inclusive education practices and fully support the continuation of the partnership.
As a result, MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda is gaining popularity in Bali as an inclusive school, evidenced by an increase in student enrolment.
This finding contributes to outcomes: 2.1 Participating educators (women and men) have improved pedagogical competencies; 2.2 Participating educators have increased knowledge of pedagogical strategies and confidence to apply these strategies in their own classroom / school environment; 2.3 Participating educators develop and implement GEDSI strategies and plans in their schools; and 3.3 Outreach activities generate increased levels of engagement from education stakeholders in the BRIDGE program.
Strengthening global competence and intercultural understanding
The partnership between MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali and Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School has led to considerable improvements in intercultural understanding. Through visits to partner schools, BRIDGE teachers from both Indonesia and Australia have deepened their understanding of each other's cultures.
Despite many Australians visiting Bali, one BRIDGE teacher from Indonesia mentioned that her first meaningful interaction with an Australian occurred only during her visit to the country. For the Australian school, the partnership with the Indonesian school benefited the teachers and helped them introduce Bali to their students:
“I remember teaching a student in grade one. And he had been to Bali, and I was showing pictures on the screen of a school in Bali. We didn't have the partnership yet, so it was just a generic school from Bali. And he goes, no, that's not in Bali. There are only pools and hotels in Bali. There's no schools there. And so, they had this concept around what Bali looks like, because lots of our families would go to Bali for a holiday, andwould absolutely, you know, spend the week by the pool in a resort. Yeah, we were really after trying to build that into cultural understanding. That's been a huge benefit. That's a real place.”
During the discussion with BRIDGE teachers from Australia, they expressed gratitude that the school partnership includes teachers and students. According to one of the BRIDGE teachers, student-involved activities have a significant value for students in the Australian school:
“They have sent letters to these kids. And these kids have sent letters back to them. And so, they're real people that actually help… Again, the tangibility of the partnership coming to life.”
This finding contributes to outcomes: 3.1 Core program activities benefit both
Australian and Indonesian partners and 3.2 Participating Indonesian educators have positive experiences during in-country visits.
Conclusion
The partnership between MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali and Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School has resulted in promising outcomes for both schools. It has facilitated the improvement of inclusive education practices at MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali and fostered intercultural understanding.
As the partnership expands beyond teacher collaboration to include all school members, the benefits of the partnership are experienced by the BRIDGE teachers, as well as other school members, including students in both countries.
The changes and progress resulting from the partnership as summarised and presented against the program outcomes:
Outcomes | Progress |
1.2 BRIDGE incentives (CGS; LPS; EW) effectively promote long term partnerships | MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali and Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School were both recipients of BRIDGE incentives and used the funding to strengthen their partnership on inclusive education. |
1.4 Australian / Indonesian school partners effectively promote GEDSI in their work | The partnership between MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali and Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School is targeted to focus on inclusive education. With additional funding from the BRIDGE program, MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali upgraded its inclusive room while Our Lady Star of the Sea Primary School used the funding to deliver in-person training on inclusive education to the Indonesian partner. |
2.3 Participating educators develop and implement GEDSI strategies and plans in their schools | Teachers at MI Karakter Mutiara Bunda Bali have adopted more sensitive GEDSI teaching practices. They tailored their learning strategy to the needs and the abilities of the individual student. They also make an effort to ensure a safe environment for children with disabilities at their school. These efforts are appreciated by parents and key stakeholders in Bali. |
3.2 Participating Indonesian educators have positive experiences during in- country visits | Both schools had the opportunity to visit their partner schools in Australia and Indonesia. Their visit improved their intercultural awareness about the partner country and inspired them to improve their partnership on inclusive education. |
3.3 Outreach activities generate increased levels of engagement from education stakeholders in the BRIDGE program. | Key stakeholders engaged with the BRIDGE Program witnessed positive outcomes and gave their support to the program. |
Annex 1
Indonesia
Position | Number of participants | Gender |
Head of the Foundation | 1 | Female |
School Principal | 1 | Male |
BRIDGE Teacher | 1 | Female |
Non-BRIDGE Teachers | 2 | Female |
Parents | 3 | Female: 1Male: 2 |
Australia
Position | Number of participants | Gender |
BRIDGE Teachers | 2 | Female |
Total
Indonesian and Australian participants: 10 with female: 7 and male: 3
Annex 2
“Ruang Sumber” or an Inclusive Room, dedicated to support students with disability.