Empatika was commissioned by the Tanoto Foundation to gather insights to inform their Pengembangan Inovasi untuk Kualitas Pembelajaran (PINTAR) program and contribute to wider policy engagement for improving students’ literacy skills. Findings from this study draw on data gathered through a combination of participatory focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews and school observation with students, teachers and school principals. Our researchers visited a total of 12 high and low performing (according to the Ministry of Education’s reporting system, Rapor Pendidikan) primary schools and junior secondary schools, including both partner and non-partner schools of the PINTAR program. 

Some of the key insights included:

• High performing schools are typically more accessible and have relatively good socioeconomic environments compared to many of the low performing schools. Additionally, high performing schools are relatively more resourced and better connected to funding/program sources (both government and other sources) compared to the low performing schools.

• Across all schools, most students consider reading to be both boring and hard. They tend to associate it with memorizing, writing down, and repeating different texts, as well as more difficult assignments. 

• Students felt that subjects which tend to require significant amounts of reading, such as civic education and Bahasa Indonesia, are complicated and exhausting.

• Many teachers associated literacy with students’ ability to read, memorize, and retell or write down what they or teachers read. Most struggled to engage students through creative activities or to design lessons that could meet students’ diverse literacy needs and abilities. 

• Though teachers are accessing training provided by the government and other organizations, many do not view these training as relevant to their needs. For example, some teachers noted a lack of more practical classroom guidance, such as addressing issues with students’ concentration.

• Many students described how school libraries are often not helping to encourage reading. Some shared how their library buildings were damaged or shared space with other rooms, such as teachers’ desks or kitchens, making them uncomfortable. Even when facilities were better, in some schools students had to use an access card, making visits inconvenient.

• In most schools, students felt the reading material in libraries were not interesting, with collections typically limited to textbooks and old collections.

• Teachers in low performing schools often noted that they did not have the resources to create an engaging learning environment for their students. There were also cases where low performing schools had resources available but teachers did not use them either because they were unfamiliar with the resources or simply preferred to continue teaching as they always have.

• While parents were supportive of their children’s schooling, many found it difficult to provide support related to reading and literacy. Some  due to their work schedules, feeling like they lack the capability to support due to their own lower educational background and a lack of familiarity with the curriculum, and in some cases, they didn't expect too much about their childrens' future. 

• Good practices that schools used to improve student literacy skills across low and high performing schools included: supporting students to build reading habits; making learning more engaging and interactive; establishing networks that allow schools to more easily access learning resources, including fostering relationships with local government and alumni.