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Problems for indonesian LearnersEnglish is a compulsory subject for all secondary students in Indonesia. The secondary education is divided into lower secondary (SMP ? Grades 7 to 9) and upper secondary (SMA ? Grades 10 to 12), with 3 years of study each. In order to progress from SMP to SMA, or from SMA to University; students are required to write the National Examinations (UN) at the end of Grade 9 and 12 respectively. A pass in english is mandatory for progression. In view of this, one would have the misconception that english is a widely spoken language in Indonesia. The truth is an entirely different matter. Aside from multinational companies that have international dealings, english is hardly used as a language of communication. It is not uncommon to meet a young university freshman who cannot carry a simple conversation in english ? even after six years of formal english Language instruction. Why is this so? The key problem lies in both the education system and the cultural background. The teaching of english in indonesian schools is focused on theoretical knowledge as opposed to developing functional, communicative skills. Students often can produce complex grammatical forms in writing but are not aware of what they actually mean. Nor can they communicate verbally. This is because teaching of english is usually done in Bahasa Indonesia! Teachers adhere to the traditional model of translation between english and Bahasa Indonesia. Unfortunately, this is a widespread phenomenon in the indonesian Archipelago. Revision books for the UN english Language Paper are in bilingual formats, whereby grammatical structures and vocabulary are explained in Bahasa Indonesia. Therefore, students are in fact memorising rather than learning in order to pass the UN. Once the examinations are over, whatever english language skill that they have gained will be instantly forgotten. The other major problem is the lack of qualified english teachers. Hence, it is common for public schools to use teachers with limited english skills. (Foreign teachers are generally restricted to private language schools which is beyond the means of the average indonesian student). Teachers? attitudes and behaviour also play major roles in problems for students. Teachers generally have the traditional viewpoint that they are the educators and thus should be the centre of attraction in a classroom. Students sit facing the teacher and the board, quietly copying notes that is written by the teacher. Asking questions is frowned upon, as it is seen as disruptive to the lesson. Peer-to-peer discussion is discouraged as students are expected to listen and not speak. In addition, students themselves are shy and quiet. They feel uncomfortable and embarassed to pose questions to their teachers. Many a time, students leave a lesson with uncertainties. This passive learning style is ineffective as students are unable to experiment nor practice the language. The indonesian environment on the whole is not conducive to the learning and practice of english. The local english language newspapers are not entirely comprehensive in their news reporting, and many Indonesians revert to reading the more comprehensive Bahasa Indonesia dailies. english language books are imported and have little government subsidies. Thus they are expensive, and the choice of titles is rather limited as compared to neighbouring countries like Singapore and Malaysia. In addition, the large indonesian consumer market compelled many publications to be translated to Bahasa Indonesia. Why struggle through 500 pages of ?Harry Potter and the Philosopher?s Stone? in english when one can read it in leisure and ease in Bahasa Indonesia? Yahoo. Google. MSN. Facebook. All have homepages in Bahasa Indonesia. There is no push factor for english proficiency. In conclusion, the problems faced by english language learners are deeply rooted in the indonesian culture, society and government policies. Unless major changes are made at all aspects, english proficiency in the majority of Indonesians will remain low. ABBREVIATION SMA - Sekolah Menengah Atas (Upper Secondary School) SMP - Sekolah Menengah Pertama (Lower Secondary School) UN - Ujian Nasional (National Examinations)
