26 April 2017 at 9:00 am
Indonesia: The important role of school counsellors
ENZ partnered with Fortrus, an Indonesian international education agency, last week to hold the second annual Counselling Teachers Training Programme in Jakarta and Surabaya. The programme aims to empower and equip counsellors to support their students well.
The training was led by University of Waikato’s Dr. Donald McMenamin who has 30 years’ experience teaching and assisting young people, counsellors and agencies, and facilitating narrative therapy workshops.
His training introduced the “Two Islands and A Boat” approach to support youth in stressful conditions and conflicts. The approach helps learners to set goals, and make plans on how to achieve them and ways to overcome any hurdles.
The training also allowed Education New Zealand to interact with a large number of schools across just two days and improve the information that these counsellors have about what it’s like to study in New Zealand.
The training participants came from local Indonesian high schools – approximately 100 from Jakarta and 50 in Surabaya. They received professional certificates upon completion of the training.
Karmela Christy, ENZ’s Marketing and Strategic Relations Manager in Indonesia, said counsellors play a significant role in a student’s education and it is important to support them.
“They’re familiar with their students’ characters, strengths and weaknesses, which allows them to support their students in crucial moments, deciding the pathway for their future,” said Karmela.
Mokhamad Imron S.Pd., Head of the Counsellor Association in Surabaya, appreciated the training and recognition of the importance of counsellors in helping students to determine their future.
“We hope Education New Zealand will continue to support this training every year, and that there will be more opportunities for Surabaya students to continue their studies in New Zealand in the future.”
