English Language Fellow Yuta Otake organized a presentation for two hundred students at Setia Darma, a high school in Palembang, Indonesia. The presentation focused on why students should study English and how they can find and use free resources. Otake started the presentation with some interactive warmups and then explained how English, as an expanding lingua franca, can help in whatever field the students choose to pursue. Yuta concluded the presentation by showing the resources available on the American English website.
Local public high schools in Palembang have English classes, but the resources are limited and some students do not see the merits to learning English. According to the principal, “Most Indonesian students realize too late that English is important, so we must inspire them when they are starting high school.”