For Edward Salim Buwono, education has never been just about classrooms or curriculum. It is about people, long-term impact, and building systems that allow children, teachers, and families to grow together. As a school director in Malang, East Java, Edward now oversees multiple early childhood schools under Yayasan Kasih Bunda Malang, guiding curriculum development, teacher leadership, and expansion into new cities.
His journey into educational leadership was sharpened by his experience studying in the UK, where he completed a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Administration at The University of Manchester in 2022. What began as a personal academic pursuit has since evolved into a foundation for transforming how schools are managed and led in Indonesia.
Read on to discover how Edward’s UK education helped him bring global perspectives back home, and why he believes leadership in education must always be adaptive, reflective, and deeply human.
My professional path did not actually start in education, as I earned my bachelor’s degree in finance. However, in the final year of my undergraduate studies, I completed a diploma in Montessori education.
"I was accepted into The University of Manchester right after completing my bachelor’s degree in 2019. However, because of COVID-19, I needed to defer my studies. I worked at Blibli.com for two and a half years, and during that time, I developed My Troom, a small pop-up toddler class serving children aged one to four.”
I realised early on that education was something I wanted to commit to. So even though my academic background was in finance, I made sure I had proper training in Montessori education before moving further.
The UK stood out as a natural choice.
“Since we were already aligned with Cambridge standards, learning directly from the UK system made sense. And the one-year master’s programme was very helpful, especially for professionals who were already working.”
The University of Manchester also has a great academic reputation and is known for its challenging curriculum. I knew it would push me and that challenge was exactly what I was looking for.
Transitioning from a finance background to an education-focused, research-driven programme was not easy. Essay writing, academic reading, and policy analysis required a new way of thinking. Suddenly, I had to read a lot of research and write critical essays. That was new for me.
What made the experience transformative was the relevance of the coursework. The faculty did not limit discussions to British schools alone.
“We talked a lot about education systems in Asia. We discussed challenges in developing countries, education policy, and how leadership needs to adapt to different cultural contexts. I could immediately connect what I was learning to Indonesia.”
One of the most memorable aspects of my studies was the diversity of my classmates. Many were education practitioners from across Asia, including China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Everyone came from different backgrounds. Some were teachers, some came from families that owned schools, and others already had years of leadership experience. The group discussions were very rich.
These discussions extended beyond the classroom. I had a classmate from Taiwan who managed multiple schools. From her, I gained practical insights into school operations, standard operating procedures, and long-term expansion strategies. I even visited her schools in Taiwan, and she and her colleagues visited Indonesia recently to explore potential collaborations.
