KEBUMEN: Teaching Practice at SDN Gombong

Water Purification

Mrs. Sutandiyah's Grade 3 students at SDN 5 Gombong tried purifying water. The children enjoyed the lesson. Learning outside the classroom and working with water kept them really interested.

Mrs. Subandiyah and her children were assisted during their activity by the leader of the grade 3 parents group Ibu Nurkhasanah and Ibu Nurbaedi, a voluntary administrative assistant. The grade 3 teacher is due to retire in 6 months, but she still has the energy and will to teach using PAKEM

The learning scenario prepared by the teacher a few days earlier was as follows:

• Each group of about 4 children brought 2 aqua bottles
• The bottoms were cut of the two bottles, then they were turned upside-down, and the tops of the bottles were blocked off.
• Bottle 1 was filled with gravel, sand, cotton wool and charcoal. Then it was filled with soil mixed with water.
• The other bottle was filled only with soil mixed with water.
• Both bottles were then left for about 30 minutes. Then the children observed what had happened.
• The students wrote down the results of their observations, and discussed them.
• The final results, complete with pictures were then displayed.

Help from the Private Sector for SDN 5 Gombong

Ms. Erna Haryanti (photo right) sponsors activities at SDN 5 Gombang. Even though she doesn't have a child at the school she has bought uniforms and a gamelan for the school's traditional music group. Bpk Sukarjono (on the left) is an active school committee member.

DBE Banten Visits MBE Target School in Banyumas

On 14 - 15 December 2005 the DBE program from Banten province visited a number of MBE target schools in Banyumas district. The 120 participants were divided up and visited 9 MBE target schools in the Kebasen and Ajibarang sub-districts. In the photo (right) a number of the participants are in a discussion with Ibu Kasunarni, principal of SDN Pancasan 3, Ajibarang sub-district.

These types of visits also encourage and motivate the schools to develop.

BANYUMAS: Schools Active, Dinas Active too

On 26 - 27 December 2005 the District Education Office in Banyumas started orientation meetings about the MBE program for primary and junior secondary schools throughout the whole of Banyumas district.

This activity was funded from the district budget. It was the initiative of Ibu Erna, the Head of the Primary Education Section at the Education Office in Banyumas, with the aim of introducing the MBE program to all primary and junior secondary schools throughout the district and helping them to understand it.

The MBE target schools took advantage of this opportunity to display their schools' work. The result was an excellent display of the MBE target schools' works, as you can see in the photo below. Before participants entered the meeting room, they could view and discuss the displays of work from the MBE target schools.

The schools are active and the Education Office is active in developing the MBE program in the Banyumas district.

This orientation activity had a significantly positive affect upon the participants. A number of sub-districts responded by proposing to conduct their own training. As a result Baturaden sub-district is holding training on the 20 - 21 January 2006.

The training will be funded by the primary schools in the sub-district, a total of 29 schools, and also from other sources like school cluster funds and the teachers' union (PGRI).

At this orientation meeting, grants were given to the MBE target schools. These funds are to support the purchase of learning materials in the schools.

Grants were given to schools in Kebasen and Ajibarang sub-districts. The funds were presented by the Head of Administration of the Banyumas Education Office, Bpk Drs. Eko Sumaryono.