In July, Goducate started a kindergarten in Batam for a nearby community. The kindergarten, called Sekolah TK Lentera Anak Bangsa (Light of the Children of the Nation Kindergarten School), was formally opened on Saturday by Goducate founder Paul Choo and the village head. Most of the day’s program, however, saw the participation of the kindergarten’s 26 students. The children come from a poor sprawling neighborhood of some 2000 huts with no running water.
The kindergarten is housed in a shophouse a short distance from the neighborhood from which most of the children come. There are two classrooms downstairs, one for the 6-7-year-olds, and one for the under-6s, and a long activity room upstairs.
The three-pronged philosophy behind the kindergarten is to staff it with good teachers, to involve the cooperation of the parents in the children’s education, and to put an emphasis of the teaching of English. Goducate hopes that this approach will give the children a good start in their preparation for life in today’s international world.
