The Beginnings of Hope: GED Support Program
A dream so far away it once seemed impossible to achieve. Many refugees in Indonesia have been isolated from formal education for many long years, but 40 students now have the opportunity to earn their General Education Diploma (GED), a certificate equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma through Roshan’s GED Support Program.
Originally from Afghanistan, Marzia spent her whole life in Iran before coming to Indonesia. “In Iran, we didn't have an ID card, we didn't have the right to go to formal school. Even if we went to an informal school we faced many difficulties. The government was strict on us,” she says. Currently, she is a math teacher and an Elite Open School mentor at Roshan. She hopes to become a nurse one day and enrolling in Roshan’s GED Support Program in January 2019, has proven to be a significant step towards achieving that goal.
“At the beginning, I thought it was tough. All the lessons were in English and I thought I might not be able to pass GED, but after I joined Roshan and came to JIS (Jakarta Intercultural School), I realized that it isn't so difficult with some hard work and effort. Our mentors explained all the concepts very clearly so it became easy for us,” she added. With the help of Roshan mentors, and a lot of hard work on her own part, Marzia went on to complete each formal exam at Sampoerna University and was part of our first graduating class in December 2019. Marzia believes having a GED diploma has been a door to a much bigger opportunity. “I think it was the best option. A lot of us thought our time was being wasted and GED made some of us hopeful.”
Like Marzia, Farida decided to go through the GED journey as she waited for resettlement in Jakarta. It was a journey she did not think would happen in Indonesia. She knew that it would be a long road as her own education had been disrupted many times. After attending the first GED information session she wondered if she would be able to pass the exams and finish the program. She decided it was worth a try and dreamed of a day when she would be able to say, “I am a high school graduate!”
Today, she finds herself on the cusp of realizing this dream. Through endless support from mentors and Roshan’s GED team, she has been able to pass three out of the four required subject exams, with the fourth scheduled for April 2020. She has learned many things along the way and even embraced new passions, including a love for math.
Helping students obtain a GED diploma has been a significant development in establishing concrete educational pathways for refugees in Jakarta. Our mentors are constantly encouraging students to think critically, stay curious, and always keep learning. This is paying off as students grow more determined and confident with each exam passed. Now, as students pass exams they are going back and helping other refugees prepare for the GED. At the beginning of 2020, we held the first GED graduation ceremony for refugees in Indonesia for our first four graduates, including Marzia. Another 41 students have passed at least one or two subjects and we are confident that more are on the way.
More about the GED Support Program
Through a grant from the New Zealand Head of Embassy Fund, Roshan launched a special GED Support Project in January 2019. Through the GED Support Project, young adult refugees can prepare for and take exams in four subject areas—math, English, science, and social studies—to obtain an internationally recognized high school credential, the General Educational Development diploma, from the USA.
Through this project, we served an additional 66 refugees and coordinated with 5 other refugee learning centers around the greater Jakarta area. By December 2019, active participants in the project included 24 in Cisarua, 38 in Jakarta city, and a small independent cohort.