Thomas Ferdinand Harefa
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Thomas Ferdinand Harefa
Thomas Ferdinand Harefa (born in Balikpapan, Indonesia) is an Indonesian educator and international school administrator based in Accra, Ghana. He is known for his work in transformational and faith-based education across Southeast Asia and West Africa, particularly in curriculum development, accreditation, and teacher leadership.[1]
Early life and education
Harefa was born in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. He earned a Bachelor of Education in English Education through a joint program between Corban University (Salem, Oregon, United States) and Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) in Lippo Village, Indonesia, graduating in 2018.
He was part of the International Teachers College (ITC) program, a teacher-training initiative launched in 2014 to prepare international Christian educators. In a 2018 Kompasiana article[2], Harefa described ITC as a place where he developed “critical thinking, cross-cultural understanding, and faith-driven purpose,” citing its international dorm life as formative.
He later completed a Master of Arts in Leadership in Education at Liverpool John Moores University in 2024, focusing his dissertation on transformational leadership and meaningful change in Asian secondary schools.
Career
After graduating, Harefa joined UPH College in Lippo Village as an English Language Arts teacher (2018–2020). In 2020 he relocated to Cambodia to teach at Life International School in Sihanoukville, where he played a key role in the school’s accreditation process under the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). In February 2021 he was appointed Secondary Principal, overseeing faculty development and academic quality for Grades 6–12.[3]
Harefa later moved to Ghana, where he joined the American International School (AIS) in Accra, Ghana. He currently serves as Deputy Principal / Director of Academics, leading curriculum alignment, accreditation (ACSI, MSA, IB), and professional learning across the secondary division. His work integrates Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs with American Education Reaches Out (AERO) standards.
Public engagement
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Harefa participated in UNESCO’s Conversations on Teaching during COVID-19 webinar series, hosted by the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030, where he discussed self-paced learning and student-centered instruction in Indonesian schools.[4]
In November 2020, Harefa was featured in an online workshop titled “Inquiry-Based Learning: Pembelajaran Sepanjang Hayat” on the Pengajar Belajar YouTube channel. The session, recorded on 21 November 2020, explored strategies for fostering lifelong learning and student autonomy during remote instruction.[5]
Research and leadership
Harefa’s graduate research explores transformational leadership, emotional intelligence, and organizational culture in education. His papers, Exceptional School Leadership: The Significance and Impact of Leadership Styles and Emotional Intelligence on School Systems (2023) and Emotional Intelligence: An Empathic and Reasonable Approach to Thriving and Safe Schools (2022), analyze how emotionally intelligent leadership affects teacher well-being and student achievement.
Personal life
Harefa is married to Sarah Harefa, an elementary-school educator. They reside in Accra, Ghana, with their daughter, Layla Harefa.
References
- ↑ LinkedIn https://gh.linkedin.com/in/thomasharefa. Retrieved https://gh.linkedin.com/in/thomasharefa. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Cutez, Levina (5 June 2018). "Tanggapan Lulusan ITC UPH terhadap Program Internasionalnya". Kompasiana.
- ↑ "Alumni - UPH | Universitas Pelita Harapan". alumni.uph.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ↑ "Conversations on Teaching during COVID-19 Webinar Series". Teacher Task Force. 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ↑ Pengajar Belajar (2021-06-09). Pengajar Belajar – Inquiry-Based Learning: Pembelajaran Sepanjang Hayat – Thomas Harefa, B. Ed. Retrieved 2025-10-22 – via YouTube.
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