Empowering Futures: How Elite Open School Is Changing the Trajectory for Displaced Youth in Jakarta
At Elite Open School (EOS), we believe a student's circumstances should never determine the ceiling on their future. That belief is easy to state and difficult to build. Since 2019, we have put it into practice through our partnership with the Roshan Learning Center in Jakarta, Indonesia — a program run under Yayasan Internasional Cahaya Fajar (Light of Dawn International) that serves displaced adolescents in grades 7 through 12.
This is not a sponsorship. It is a full academic infrastructure — built, funded, and delivered by EOS, and brought to life every day by the dedication of the Roshan team on the ground.
“Every student deserves an education that opens doors, not a circumstance that closes them. Roshan students are not a footnote to our mission — they are exactly who Elite Open School was built to help.”
What EOS Provides
Since the partnership began, EOS has served as the academic backbone of the Roshan program — delivering:
An accredited U.S. curriculum, giving students a path to a U.S.-recognized high school diploma that is honored by universities and institutions around the world.
Digital learning infrastructure, including Chromebooks and structured online coursework that build the same disciplined academic habits EOS students develop everywhere in our global network.
Direct financial investment — to date, EOS has committed full resources in tuition support, technology, and curriculum access to ensure no displaced student is turned away for lack of resources.
A real pathway to higher education — an accredited diploma that converts uncertainty into opportunity, opening doors to universities in third countries and locally in Indonesia.
On the ground, our partner Roshan Learning Center provides the study space, in-person tutoring, and daily supervision that brings this academic framework to life. The model works because it combines EOS's institutional rigor with Roshan's local presence and care.
The Numbers Behind the Mission
Since this partnership began in 2019, EOS has:
Served 100+ displaced students through the Roshan program
Successfully celebrated our first cohort of 10 graduates to a growing number of students on track to follow
Supported students who have gone on to pursue higher education in Indonesia, the United States, and Canada.
These numbers represent more than statistics. They represent students who arrived in Jakarta with nothing certain about their future and left with a diploma that the world recognizes.
Independent Research Confirms What We Believed
We did not need a study to know this work mattered. But we are so proud that an independent academic researcher has now confirmed it.
A recent Master's thesis — "Education and Future Orientation of Refugee Adolescents in Indonesia: A Case Study of Roshan Learning Center Jakarta" — authored by Ghina Rifkiya at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, examined the impact of the EOS-Roshan partnership on the aspirations and resilience of refugee youth.
The research found that students in the EOS program at Roshan develop a strong sense of internality — the belief that their success is driven by their own effort and determination. The structured, self-regulated learning environment EOS provides was identified as a key factor in helping students see themselves as active agents in their own lives, not passive subjects of circumstance.
The thesis also found that academic credibility changes everything for displaced students. Rifkiya's research describes how the accredited diplomas EOS provides are seen by students as the resource that "opens pathways to higher education" — transforming uncertain hopes into realistic, attainable plans.
Perhaps most striking, the research found that EOS Roshan students sustain genuinely ambitious goals despite displacement — envisioning futures as doctors, engineers, and business leaders. As the study concludes:
"These evaluations highlight how structured educational environments and recognized credentials can transform aspirations into realistic trajectories, enabling young people to sustain motivation and envision attainable futures despite systemic barriers."
One sentiment captured in the research, from a student in the program, stays with us:
"If you don't have education, then you'll become poor. But if you run away with only your shirt and you have the brain, you can work somewhere and earn a living…. Education is a very essential tool. Also, education is light."
[Note: the student profiles referenced in the original thesis (Ace, Bella, Clara, Darla) are pseudonyms used by the researcher to protect the identities of displaced minors. We are not using these as identified individuals and recommend any future version of this post either omit specific names or seek direct, current permission from Roshan for a real, properly cleared student story.]
Looking Ahead
This research validates something EOS has built its mission around: that a rigorous, credentialed education is not a luxury reserved for the fortunate. It is a tool that, properly delivered, can change the entire trajectory of a young person's life — regardless of the circumstances they were dealt.
We are proud of what this partnership has built. And we are not finished.
EOS is fully committed to supporting more Roshan students, as well as refugee students at large, because we believe every displaced student with the will to learn deserves the same door we have opened for the students at Roshan.
To learn more about the research referenced in this piece: Rifkiya, G. (2026). Education and Future Orientation of Refugee Adolescents in Indonesia: A Case Study of Roshan Learning Center Jakarta. Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia.