Six senior officials from Indonesia's Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and four from the Ministry of Religious Affairs have concluded a two-week exchange program in the United States. This initiative was supported by the U.S. Embassy’s Regional English Language Office (RELO) and took place from May 4 to 16, focusing on language education models, educational leadership, teacher training, and curriculum development.
During their visit to Seattle, Washington, and Kansas City, Missouri, the delegation engaged with American educators and administrators to explore U.S. approaches to language education and professional development. The exchange aimed at understanding policy implementation, student-centered learning environments, and cross-sector collaboration.
Dr. Mahrus, Head of the Sub-directorate of Ma’had Aly at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, expressed his admiration for the multilingual education models observed during the visit. "This ESL exchange program was amazing," he said. "I was deeply impressed by the multilingual education models in Seattle and Kansas City and the supportive policies behind them."
Lia Herawaty, Senior Master Trainer for DKI Jakarta’s Teacher Professional Training Center at the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, noted how the experience inspired potential pilot projects for bilingual programs in Jakarta. “The class observations in public schools and K-12 charter schools...gave me fresh ideas to design such an initiative,” she stated.
The program also strengthened cross-ministry collaboration among Indonesian officials while inspiring new practices in language education reform. Ruth Goode from RELO highlighted the importance of this cooperation: “This exchange reflects our shared commitment to improving education in both our countries.”
This effort is part of RELO's ongoing initiatives to build capacity within Indonesia's education sector while promoting bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and the United States.