Dewi Sartika was well known as
the leading figure and pioneer for the education for women in Indonesia.
She founded the first school for women in Dutch East Indies. She was
acknowledged as a National
Hero by the Indonesian government in
1966.
Dewi Sartika
was born in Cicalengka, on 4 December 1884. Her parents let her to study at
school although it broke the custom at that time. When she was a child she had
shown her talent in teaching, after school she often pretended to be a teacher while
playing with her friends. So that, some the indigenous children knew some Dutch
words. After her father died, she lived with her uncle. She got education of
Sundanese culture from her uncle. Also she got Western culture from a wife of
resident assistant. In 1899, she moved to Bandung.
She had
dream to make a school for the masses. Her uncle had the same idea. But because
of the custom which limited woman’s activity out of home, the idea of founding
a school was blocked. But finally she got permission to build a school for
woman.
On 16
January 1904, she founded a school named Sekolah Isteri at Bandung Regency's
Pendopo and later moved to Jalan Ciguriang and the school name changed to
Sekolah Kaoetamaan Isteri (Wife Eminency School) in 1910. In 1912, there were
nine Sekolah Kaoetamaan Isteri in cities or regencies in West Java (half of the
cities and regencies), and in 1920 all of cities and regencies had one school.
In September 1929, her school changed its name to Sekolah Raden Dewi.
She died on
11 September 1947 in Cineam, Tasikmalaya while she was evacuating from Bandung
due to independence war.
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