TIMESINDONESIA, JAKARTA Pradita Dirgantara High School continues to excel in producing remarkable graduates. This time, the spotlight is on Ardian Hafidz Annafi (18).

Hailing from Boyolali, Central Java, Ardian has secured placements in seven prestigious foreign universities, all of which rank among the world's top institutions. He even received a full scholarship to pursue his studies at his dream university. Additionally, Ardian received financial assistance from the government to cover his living expenses, all courtesy of the "Beasiswa Indonesia Maju" (Advanced Indonesia Scholarship) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek).

These seven universities are located in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, and each holds positions within the top 100 and top 200 in the QS World University Rankings (WUR).

These universities include the University of Toronto (ranked 26th worldwide), the University of British Columbia (ranked 46th worldwide), The University of Western Australia (ranked 93rd worldwide), Wageningen University (ranked 123rd worldwide), University of Otago, and Curtin University (both ranked 194th worldwide), as well as Victoria University of Wellington (ranked 236th worldwide).

"At first, when I applied for the scholarship, I was determined to choose UBC (University of British Columbia). But as the time to decide drew nearer, Bu Ajeng – my guiding teacher – suggested why not consider UoT (University of Toronto), because UoT has a high reputation in the world of education," Ardian explained, as quoted from detik, Thursday (12/5/2022).

"However, after some research, I decided to go to UBC, because UBC has a strong research unit in the field of minerals, which is better than UoT," he continued.

Ardian never expected to be accepted into seven renowned world universities. Moreover, he never saw himself as a special student. Since junior high school, he wasn't very active in organizations or competitive activities. In fact, he stated that there were no exceptional activities he engaged in. His main activities consisted of studying diligently and reading books at home or visiting the local library.

"But I did have a dream of going abroad," he said.

Ardian realized that the key to studying abroad was excelling academically and seeking scholarships. He understood that his father, a construction worker, and his mother, who ran a laundry service at home, wouldn't be able to finance his education abroad without a scholarship.

Therefore, after graduating from junior high school, Ardian applied to Pradita Dirgantara High School, a boarding school under the Indonesian Air Force (AU). Ardian believed that this school implemented a strict military-like schedule, and to gain admission, one had to undergo a series of rigorous selection processes, potentially leading to studying abroad.

"My parents supported me in anything I wanted to do. Because my friends and I have hope from our parents that they guide us to where we should go. So they have their own freedom, just like the freedom I have," he explained.

After being accepted into Pradita Dirgantara High School, Ardian's academic abilities were further honed. He also felt he was in the right place because the facilities at the school allowed him to maximize his learning and focus.

According to him, the learning environment at Pradita Dirgantara High School strongly supports the learning process and activities for self- development. The school provides complete facilities, including a MacBook Air laptop, dormitory, laundry, and all expenses are covered by the school.

In grade 10, Ardian joined the National Science Competition (KSN) Earth Science extracurricular. This extracurricular ultimately led to participating in the KSN competition, a prestigious national competition formerly known as the National Science Olympiad (OSN). As a result, Ardian won a bronze medal in KSN Earth Science.

Meanwhile, the Director of School Development at Pradita Dirgantara High School, Dwi Agus Yuliantoro, stated that the curriculum used by Pradita Dirgantara High School is also crucial in producing graduates like Ardian. The school implements the Integrated Contextual Learning Program curriculum.

"This curriculum combines Curriculum 2013, the International Baccalaureate curriculum, Cambridge adaptation, curriculum for national olympiads, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) programs," he explained.

Dwi explained that the standard material that students must achieve at Pradita Dirgantara High School is the highest standard of the curriculum.

"The learning load is quite heavy. Not in terms of quantity, but in terms of difficulty level. So it requires students with a cognitive capacity to keep up with the pace," Dwi said.

In the teaching and learning activities, as Ardian mentioned, the application of this curriculum involves extensive discussions on a topic from various scientific perspectives.

Students will be given time to make presentations and create products related to the topic. At the end of grade 11, students at Pradita Dirgantara High School will be given a project task that combines several subjects.