by Roselva from Indonesia

There is undoubtedly a significant difference in education between Indonesia and Germany. Additionally, there seem to be some notable distinctions between the educational systems in Asia and Europe. It really surprised me to see the significant difference when I moved to Germany to work as a South-North Volunteer in a kindergarden.
In Indonesia, kindergarten students must be between the ages of 4 to 6, but in Germany, kindergarten students can begin as early as one year old. It is still too early for me, but I never imagined that I would work as an educator for kids between the ages of 2 to 6. However, that doesn’t mean I lack the ability to respect and learn from differences.

The activities that are done in kindergarten also differ. Naturally, a child’s primary need during their early years is to play. On the other hand, reading and counting are taught to kids in Indonesia so that when they start elementary school, they can read short texts and know how to count from 1 to 20. However, in Germany, children learn using the play method. They can learn to eat and dress themselves without assistance from adults, play puzzles, and sing songs about numbers and letters.

I was genuinely impressed by this, as I firmly support German education. In addition to being too young to be compelled to learn subjects like reading and math in elementary school, children who are too young will find learning exhausting and boring and will rather play because they don’t get enough playtime. I would like to introduce this educational system in my native Indonesia, if given the chance.