Education Becomes A Way For Parents To Change Their Children's Future

JAKARTA - The development of private schools in Indonesia does not only depend on the vision of educational institutions, but also on regional readiness, community support, and collaboration with parties who are concerned about education.

This was conveyed by Jaspal Sidhu, Founder and Chairman of SIS & Inspiration Group of Schools when discussing school expansion strategies to various regions in Indonesia.

Through the concept of affordable premium education, SIS and Inspiration Schools seeks to present an international education model at a cost that remains affordable. This initiative is aimed at middle class people who want to get global education without having to go to school abroad.

Plans for opening a new school are not carried out carelessly. He gave an example when his team conducted a survey to Makassar. Jaspal revealed this in Four Seasons, Jakarta on Thursday, October 30, 2025.

"This is a big city, Makassar. Yesterday my team went there. Then about 1.5 to 2 hours from the city there is a district. We will see the data from payments, population, economic developments," he said.

The decision to enter or not enter a district must be based on data, not assumptions.

"That's our planning method. Because if you just knock on the door of each district, it doesn't necessarily work. I'm just waiting for a call from them," he added.

The meaning of 'they' are parties such as local investors or real estate developers who want to contribute to their regions.

"Usually calls arise from a conglomerate or developer," he explained.

When asked about the interest of the district community in private schools, he replied that the enthusiasm of the community was actually high.

"In Indonesia, the aspirational class is quite high. They know that education is important for the future of their children," he said.

"But one thing is aspiration, the ability to pay for other things. Affordability is important," he continued.

Parents generally want to provide the best education, but sometimes cost constraints. So, the balance between quality and affordability is the main factor.

For eastern Indonesia, he emphasized the need for infrastructure readiness

"If the infrastructure is not supported, we will wait for the government to help. But if there are developers or regional figures who want to build schools, we are ready to come," he explained.

However, he admitted that opening schools in remote areas requires financial consideration.

"I also have to be realistic. If it's far away and doesn't make sense on cost, it's also a consideration," he said.

He explained that some subjects follow the Singapore curriculum, especially Mathematics, Science and English.

Because research and development of the curriculum in Singapore is very high. The curriculum must change quickly following technological developments," he said.

He also criticized curriculum changes in some countries that were too slow.

"If the new curriculum is made every 4'5 years, once you enter the class you have an obsolete (not anymore useful). The world changes every 12 months," he explained.

Therefore, he proposed in the ASEAN forum that there be curriculum committees involving private parties and academics for sustainable updates.

In addition, he shared the experience when a student's family lost their parents.

"If parents die and their children are already in school at our place, it's 100 percent free immediately. The future of children depends on parents, so we have to help," he said.

The program is not part of a marketing strategy, but a human value.

Regarding the issue of the low salary of teachers in Indonesia, he emphasized that everything must be considered.

"All teachers must be considered. In our place, nothing is paid under the UMR. And we have to increase the cost of training quickly. Because the cost of training is much greater than the cost of hiring," he said.

For him, teachers also continue to attend training.

"The main challenge for education is not just curriculum, but teacher quality. Because the quality of teachers determines the quality of learning," he said.

School development must be based on regional data and needs, not just expansion. The ability to pay people must be considered so that education can be accessed more widely.

Certificate updates need to be carried out adaptively following the times. Teacher quality is the key to the success of education.

Education is not only about institutions, but also social responsibility to future generations.