Kartini School in Indonesia: A Short Description

Kartini School in Indonesia: A Short Description. Education in Indonesia has developed from time to time initiated by the establishment of schools in colonial era such as the European countries including the Dutch in the past. As Indonesia people got more educated, many attempted to establish school and provided more education for their generation. Some native pioneers in Indonesia appeared such as M. Syafii, Ki Hajar Dewantoro, and also a very famous female hero, Kartini. They were struggled hard to contribute something to bring their people to better education.

source: historia.id

One of the schools initiated by the pure Indonesian was Kartini School. Kartini School was    a form of persistence of Kartini in championing women's education in his time. In his era, except the children of noble and high privileged parents, women were not allowed to receive education as men. Kartini School is a symbol of pioneering education for ordinary people, with the existence of these schools of education can be acquired and developed among the common people, not just the nobility only. So many intellectuals came from ordinary people, who continue to struggle the RA Kartini’s vision.

This paper provides a short overview on the biography of Kartini, Kartini’s school establishment and Kartini’s school development.


Biography of R.A. Kartini
Raden Adjeng Kartini, popularly known as Kartini, is one of the gentry or nobility of Java classes, the daughter of Raden Mas Sosroningrat, regent of Jepara. Kartini was the daughter of R.M. Sosroningrat from his first wife, but not the main wife. At that time, polygamy was a matter of course.

source: id.wikipedia.org

Kartini was born of noble Javanese family. His father, RM. A. A. Sosroningrat, at the beginning was a district officer in Mayong. His mother named M.A. Ngasirah, daughter of Haji Siti Aminah Nyai and Kyai Haji Madirono, a teacher of religion at Telukawur Jepara. Colonial Rule required a regent at that time to marry to a noble man / women. Because M.A.Ngasirah was not a high noble woman, then her father remarried to Raden Maya Woerjan (Moerjam), a direct descendant of King of Madura. After the marriage, Kartini's father was appointed the regent of Jepara replace the real father of RA Woerjan, R.A.A.Tjitrowikromo.

Kartini was the fifth child of 11 siblings and stepfather. Of all siblings, Kartini was the eldest daughter. She was a descendant of an intelligent family. Her grandfather, Prince Ario Tjondronegoro IV, was appointed regent in the age of 25 years. Kartini's older brother, Sosrokartono, was an intelligent person in the field of language. Until the age of 12 years, Kartini was allowed attending ELS (Lagere Europese School). Here, among others, Kartini learnt the Dutch language. But after 12 years of age, she should stay at home because it was time for her to be secluded.

By her parents, Kartini was told to marry a regent Apex, S. Duke Ario Singgih Djojo Adhiningrat, who had had three wives. Kartini married on November 12, 1903. The first and last child a year later, RM Soesalit, was born on September 13, 1904. A few days later, 17 September 1904, Kartini died at the age of 25 years. Kartini was buried in Bulu Village, Sub district of Bulu, Rembang.

The Establishment of Kartini School
Because Kartini could speak Dutch, then at home she began to study himself and wrote letters to friends correspondence originating from the Netherlands. One of whom was Rosa Abendanon who gave her a lot of support. From books, newspapers, and magazines of Europe, Kartini was interested in the progress of European women thought. Desire appeared in her mind to promote indigenous women, in which social conditions of indigenous women at that time were at a low social status.

Kartini read many newspapers one of which was Semarang De Locomotief led by Pieter Brooshooft. She also received leestrommel (package bookstore magazine circulated to the subscription). Among them there was a magazine of culture and science which were quite heavyand also a women's magazine De Hollandsche Lelie Netherlands. Kartini was then several times sent hes writings and published in De Hollandsche Lelie. From her letters, it seemed Kartini read everything with great attention, while taking notes. Kartini's sometimes called the one essay or quoted a few sentences. Her attention was not solely about women's emancipation, but also a general social problem. Kartini saw women struggle to gain freedom, autonomy and legal equality as part of a broader movement. Among the books read by Kartini before the age of 20, were Max Havelaar and Love Letters of Multatuli's work, which in November 1901 was read two times. Then De Stille Kraacht (Hidden Power) by Louis Coperus. Then the work of high quality Van Eeden, Augusta de Witt's work is mediocre, roman-feminist work of Mrs. Goekoop de-Jong Van Beek and an anti-war novel written by Berta von Suttner, Die Waffen Nieder (Put Weapons). Everything was in Dutch.

Kartini's fate has been fully outlined by the people and history. Although hated polygamy, Kartini precisely was paired with the Regent of Rembang, Raden Joyodiningrat, who had married three times, on 12 November 1903. Luckily, her husband understood Kartini's interest and intellect that allowed her to keep reading, corresponding, and sought to develop education such as establishing schools for girls in the district office complex of Rembang.

Children of indigenous women had virtually no opportunity to have a formal education at that time. Among natives, only children of the nobility / civil service that could go to school, it was usually only the males. Kartini recruited two younger sisters : Kardinah and Rukmini, to co-teach in schools which soon overwhelmed accommodate girls who wanted to learn. In order to receive as many students, schools to be opened for several classes a day.

On September 13, 1904, Kartini gave birth to her first child and only one, RM Soesalit. But the birth process was quite difficult, and Kartini was bleeding severe enough for days so that on 17 September 1904 Kartini died at the age of 25 years. After the death of Kartini, the girls' school did not run smoothly because the loss of pioneer’s inspiration. Both her sisters did not successfully manage it, and were not able to accommodate all prospective pupils who had high willingness to learn.

Progress was actually forwarded by the couple of Van Deventer who was in the history known as an advocate of "ethical politics" or "political reciprocation", which provided ample educational opportunities for children's colony. As an admirer of Kartini's ideas as contained in a collection of letters published by JH and Rosa Abendanon in 1911, the Van Deventer couple tried and kept pursuing the Netherlands Indies government to allocate more funds for education.

Furthermore, because he felt impatient with the existing development, Van De Venter even spent his own money and tried to raise money from various circles in order to establish an educational foundation in Semarang in 1012. The foundation was named after Kartini Foundation. The Foundation opened special schools for girls of natives in Semarang, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Malang, Madiun, Cirebon, and several other cities. They were called "Sekolah Kartini” or “Kartini’s School ".


Kartini’s School development
Common primary school in the past specifically designed for teenage girls used Dutch as medium of instruction.Unlike the regular elementary schools, the School of Kartini gave additional cooking and sewing lessons. Located on Jl. Kartini, Pasar Baru, Central Jakarta, started from a "Kartini fund " encouraged by several prominent Dutchs to answer the ethical political demands, the school ran in early 20th century. Then, the schools started up in many major cities and entirely privately run. However, some schools of Kartini in some cities were not connected one into another.

In the spirit of Youth Pledge and the struggle of Mrs. Abdurachman (wife of Cornelis Mester district officer or Jatinegara), management and teaching staff consisted of Indonesian women (1928). In Jakarta, in addition to the Kartini School I on Jl. Kartini (Kartiniweg), there was also a Kartini’s school II in Pasar Nangka and III in Jatinegara (1928).

During the Japanese occupation the school was closed because the building was used for boarding the Japanese army. School opened again in 1953, commemorating 25 years of Women's Unity Movement. At the time of independence, the school changed its name to School Crafts for Women "Kartini" (Sekolah Kerajinan Wanita ‘Kartini’). The shape was not much different from the ‘Sekolah Kepandaian Putri’ owned by the government, unless the teacher received subsidies. For fundraising, then the Foundation of Kartini School was founded (1962) by collected funds from quarters in the Netherlands.

In its development, additional school was founded namely a Vocational School of Tourism Industry (SKIP) in 1971 and the School of Family Welfare (SMKK) 1976. In SKIP taught how to cook by the standards of Indonesian cuisine, European, and Chinese. There was also a lesson about the procedures for setting family spending, hygiene arrangements, and other matters related to the household for the sake of tourism. Being in SMKK, graduates were expected to continue into the Teachers' Training College in the Department of Family Welfare.

In some places, Kartini schools have merged into a public school. School Building of Kartini has a porch-shaped pavilion in the center and around the pillars which were made of quality wood. This building was founded by Bataviasche Kartini School Vereniging (Association of Kartini Schools in Jakarta) in 1913. Members of the association consisted of Dutch ladies and wives of the Dutch East Indies government civil servants.

Kartini School Nowadays
Kartini Schools today are no longer dedicated for women only, but rather for disadvantaged children who still have a high learning spirit. We may find so many schools under the management of Kartini foundation which offer various majors of education. Located in many cities like Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, and many others, Kartini Schools serve as one of choices that parents may choose for their children education.

In semarang, we may find Kartini Senior High School, and vocational high school as well as Kartini Social Welfare Academy in Jalan Sultan Agung No. 77 Semarang. The senior high school offers programs of natural science and social science which are opened to any students wishing to enroll. The academy which was officially established in June 22, 1984 also offers majors of make ups, clothing and catering/cooking. This become a solution for public who wish their children study more on those offered majors to meet the demands on skillful people on make ups, clothing and cooking. 

[Written by Asih Nurakhir]


Material Sources:

• Sekolah Kartini, retrieved from http://pendidikan4sejarah.blogspot.com/2011/06/sekolah-kartini.html  on June 28, 2011 at 08.10 a.m.
• Akademi kesejahteraan Sosial, retrieved from http://aksibukartini.wordpress.com/about/ on June 28, 2011 at 09.05 a.m.