Jakarta, April 3, 2006. Sampoerna Foundation has made a new breakthrough in its various efforts to improve the standards of quality of Indonesian education system at high school level in Indonesia with the opening of the Teacher Education Institute (TEI) in cooperation with the National Institute of Education (NIE), the teachers education institute of the Technological University of Nanyang, Singapore.

The cooperative agreement for the establishment and running of TEI was signed in  Jakarta today by Elan Merdy, Chief Operation Officer Sampoerna Foundation, and  Profesor Leo Tan Wee Hin, Director of NIE. This was witnessed by Dr. Fasli Djalal, Director General for Quality Improvement of Teachers and Education Professionals of the Department of National Education.

After signing the agreement, Elan commented that TEI is expected to be a catalyst for the improvement of the standard of quality of high schools in Indonesia. 

“The quality teachers graduated from TEI are expected to be able to facilitate the efforts to raise the standard of education starting at the high schools where they work and causing a ripple effect that motivates other teachers and other school administrators to join with them in improving the standard of education in their schools as well,” Elan explained.

With the signing of this agreement, NIE will assist Sampoerna Foundation to develop teaching methods and curricula of international standards for TEI, while providing professional educators for TEI.

TEI offers several different Professional Development Programs designed to fulfill the need to improve the professional capability ofhigh school teachers and administrators.  TEI will also open a graduate degree program in pedagogy/education for Strata 1 graduates who wish to become teachers.