Why Kalimantan?
Kalimantan means “Rivers of Diamonds” and is a land rich in natural resources. Central Kalimantan is also one of the least developed provinces of Indonesia, and there is much poverty. It is inevitable that development and exploitation will occur. Because there is enormous opportunities for growth, one of the Foundation’s work objectives is to ensure that this growth is grounded in human values, hence, the importance of the school as an incubator for fostering these values in young adults. We believe that education is the key to sustainable and positive development.
The National Plus school was an appropriate model as it incorporated both national and international curricula. There was no other English based school in the province and thus it could provide opportunities for the local people to meet the challenges of development.
Parents and residents in Central Kalimantan have worked hard towards the realization of this school. This effort was made with the firm belief that a school represents one of the most meaningful contributions that can be made towards human development in Central Kalimantan. For the first two years the school was a home tutorial center before it became registered with the Department of Education in Kalimantan.
In July 2005, the School officially opened to the public as a registered bilingual, multicultural school with 28 children ranging from 5-17 years old. Bina Cita Utama (BCU) was the first ‘National Plus’ school to be registered with the Department of National Education in Central Kalimantan, and the first school in the province to use English as the primary language of instruction. A National Plus school for the greater Palangka Raya region was high on the priority list for the Ministry of Education; therefore Government officials supported the formation of the school.
BCU is founded and managed by Yayasan Bina Cita Utama, a non-profit foundation registered with the government of Central Kalimantan. The Yayasan is also affiliated with Susila Dharma International, an international NGO that has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
TIME LINE:
2003 – 2005 : The school was a home tutorial center with 12 students
2005 : The school officially opened to the public as a registered school with 28 students.
2008 : In July 2008, the school year started with 52 students from Grade 1 up to Grade 12.
2010 – 2011 : The school has 81 students from Grade 1 – 12
2013 : The school has grown to accommodate 130 students of all grades, with 20 teachers of local and international origin.
Mission & Philosophy
The Mission of Bina Cita Utama (‘BCU’) School is to be an innovative educational community in the Palangka Raya district of Central Kalimantan, offering challenging programs of study and a high-quality environment for learning. BCU seeks to nurture individuality, self-worth, a sense of humanity, and to educate children to become adults that will make a positive contribution to the development of their communities and the world. | |
The name Bina Cita Utama means ‘Nurturing Noble Ideals’. Here at BCU, we are dedicated to develop this high-quality, human-centered learning environment into a model school that can be replicated throughout the province. A Teacher-Training program is an attribute of our overall vision, which will bring new teaching methodologies to eventuate in the wider community of children in Kalimantan. | |
Our guiding philosophy at the school, is to enable the ‘whole person’ to develop and achieve excellence. The devised education programs encourage individual students to develop their natural talents and skills, to become independent thinkers and articulate communicators. Each student learns to perform within the limit of their individual capacity, which enables them to adapt and achieve success in an ever-changing world. | |
BCU Students are encouraged to become active citizens who face up to their social and civic responsibilities in their societies and to be caring and community-minded, have cultural understanding and demonstrate respect and tolerance for the cultures and habits of others.
Our VisionOur Vision |