Tanoto Foundation and Yogyakarta State University Collaborate To Improve Basic Education Quality

Yoggakarta State University (UNY) is collaborating with Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, to improve the quality of basic education in Indonesia with the PINTAR Program.

This collaboration was marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Cooperation Agreement between UNY Rector/President Prof. Dr. Sutrisna Wibawa and Tanoto Foundation Basic Education Director Margaretha Ari Widowati, in the presence of Tanoto Foundation Global CEO J Satrijo Tanudjojo, in the UNY Main Assembly Hall in Yogyakarta on January 13, 2020.

PINTAR has trained and assisted teachers, principals, school superintendents, committees and lecturers to better work together in improving students’ learning results, Tanudjojo explained. Under PINTAR, pre-service teacher students at the UNY Teachers’ Training Institute (TTI) will receive training so that they will be able to provide quality education by the time they graduate. Tanudjojo added that the collaboration with UNY is meant to facilitate TTI lecturers to implement a practical learning process for the pre-service teacher students.

“Tanoto Foundation will work with the UNY lecturers and experts to prepare pre-service teachers at TTI to acquire practical teaching experience. So when they graduate, they can create lively and active learning classes. This is in line with the criteria of our MIKiR (Experiencing, Interacting, Communicating and Reflecting) active learning method,”

Tanudjojo said.

Meanwhile, UNY Rector/President said this collaboration provides invaluable real experience to the pre-service teachers about school-related issues and encourages them to seek solutions. She also said UNY has developed innovative learning methods which are available for further development in collaboration with Tanoto Foundation.

“UNY has various findings about learning models which are open for synergy with Tanoto Foundation. The Foundation has a broad experience in education, and our lecturers should take advantage of the opportunity to work together with them in order to improve Indonesia’s education quality,” Prof. Wibawa said.

UNY and Tanoto Foundation’s collaboration will run until December 2021, with discussions expected after to determine further collaboration in future years.

Both organisations are also expected to nominate a number of UNY lecturers to become lecturer facilitators who will select partner schools to provide trainings and assistance at, as well as develop collaborative studies with, as part of strategic efforts to position the TTI as a service provider to improve education quality.

Tanoto Foundation’s collaboration with UNY marks the tenth time it has worked with a partner TTI.