Taruna Nusantara Senior High School (also called Tarnus or TN) is a boarding senior high school with high-rated discipline that is located in Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. The school gains reputation from its strong emphasis on national values in addition to exceptional academic and leadership achievements. The school and its teaching method has been referred to as "the inspiration for the setting up of other top schools in Indonesia." Taruna Nusantara can be literally translated as "Patriot of The Archipelago." The word Taruna itself also generally refers to Indonesia's military cadet, which has no direct relation to and should not be confused with the school and its students. History The idea for the school was made by then- Indonesian Minister of Defence and Security, Gen. Leonardus Benjamin Moerdani in 1985. He envisioned a civilian school that is able to educate country's best talents and produce graduates who can continue carrying forward the national mission set by the nation's founding fathers. It was then followed by the signing of MoU by Indonesian Armed Forces and Taman Siswa, which is among the first local and formal educational groups in Indonesia, to set up and support a foundation called Lembaga Perguruan Taman Taruna Nusantara (LPTTN). It is this foundation that eventually crystallised Gen. Moerdani's vision, and subsequently oversaw the operational process of the school. The school was unveiled by the then- Commander of Armed Forces, Gen. Try Sutrisno in 1990. The whole campus, consisted of the school compound, students' dormitories and teachers' housing complex, occupied an 18.5 ha site, donated by the neighboring Indonesian Military Academy. During the first six years, the school admitted 245 male students every year. Starting from 1996, it became a co-ed school by accepting the first batch of 70 female students, and to accommodate this change, the school area was expanded to 23 hectares. To be able to attract outstanding teenagers, the school, backed by the politically and financially strong Armed Forces, offered full scholarship to all students. Its teachers also enjoyed above-average salary and facilities. However, after the severe Asian currency crisis in 1997 and the change of national political landscape thereafter, the school faced financial difficulties and withdrew its scholarship scheme in 2002 or when accepting its thirteenth batch of student. To date, some needy students still receive the scholarship, which is sponsored by private corporations, state's departments, local and regional governments, or its alumni.