Vocational schools give hope to Maluku's young<\/p>\n
Ati Nurbaiti, The Jakarta Post, Langgur, Kei Kecil, Maluku<\/p>\n
Pearls adorn the souvenir shops in Tual town, no surprise given
\nthat the Little Kei Islands and the other isles in Southeast
\nMaluku are surrounded by the crystal clear waters essential for
\npearl cultivation.<\/p>\n
What does come as a surprise, however, is that the cultivators
\nand exporters are mainly Japanese.<\/p>\n
The technology is such a mystery to locals that the Fishing
\nPolytechnic College here has not bothered to develop a program on
\npearl cultivation. Neither has Pattimura University in Ambon,
\nMaluku's capital, despite Pattimura's prioritization of maritime
\nresources studies.<\/p>\n
The local type of pearl, the blister, is formed naturally by
\nmucus secretions from the oyster. But without the appropriate
\ntechniques, it cannot become perfectly round and as shiny as the
\nmuch more expensive, quality export pearls.<\/p>\n
\"There has been no transfer of technology,\" says college
\ndirector P. Beruatwarin, referring to the Japanese control of the
\npearl business.<\/p>\n
Without a knowledge of pearl cultivation, Maluku is capable of
\nonly providing unskilled workers for the trade.<\/p>\n
This also applies to other maritime industries. Many members
\nof the younger generation in Maluku work on fishing boats
\nbelonging to companies from Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries
\n-- mainly at the lowest level.<\/p>\n
The diploma programs offered by the Fishing Polytechnic
\nCollege aim to fill in these gap, Beruatwarin said. \"We have the
\nscholars and the people to become workers, but the middle level
\nis virtually devoid of Maluku people\", he said. Education and
\neconomic development had to be based on the awareness that locals
\nhad only benefited from 30 percent of the available maritime
\nresources, he added.<\/p>\n
The college gained state recognition only after the Maluku
\nconflict erupted, as a result of which students could no longer
\ncontinue their studies in Ambon.<\/p>\n
Following an improvement in the situation in Maluku, educators
\nand planners must now work hard to provide human resources
\nequipped with the required skills, such as those related to fish
\ncatching, processing and breeding, navigation, and technical
\nskills in the shipping sector.<\/p>\n
In Ambon, Pattimura University rector Mus Huliselan also said
\nthat Maluku's young people should be at the forefront of
\ninnovation regarding maritime resources, especially given that
\nthe ASEAN Free Trade Agreement was now in full force.<\/p>\n
Maluku's waters have long been a happy hunting ground for
\nvessels owned by foreign and Jakarta-based companies, which
\nexploit the waters fished by traditional fishermen.<\/p>\n
It is now apparent as AFTA takes effect that Maluku has a long
\nway to go: Apart from protecting the ordinary fisherfolk, the
\nmost basic educational need is simply the resumption of classes,
\nand the replacement of equipment destroyed or stolen during the
\ndisturbances.<\/p>\n
The good news for vocational schools is that in the post-
\nconflict period, Maluku residents seem to have less reservations
\nabout participating in vocational education. Previously, most
\nyoungsters, encouraged by their parents, wanted to study in
\ngeneral high schools in the hope of landing a job in the
\nbureaucracy, educators say.<\/p>\n
And with a greater desire to enter the workforce straight
\nafter high school, the vocational schools are a stepping stone to
\nemployment in the fishing and shipping industries, as well as in
\nthe trades.<\/p>\n
At the moment, ensuring that classes can be held is a struggle
\nin itself. In the aftermath of the conflict, teachers and
\nstudents often find it difficult to reach the schools because of
\nthe religious segregation that has ensued. A number of vocational
\nschools were also mindlessly razed to the ground.<\/p>\n
But school management boards knew they could not wait forever,
\nand many students were sent to study in other schools in safe
\nlocations; meaning Christian students and teachers went to
\nChristian areas while Muslims went to Muslim areas.<\/p>\n
One other problem faces vocational schools: Where to send
\nstudents for on-the-job training? \"This problem gives us a lot of
\nheadaches,\" said Theo Latumahina, who is described by education
\nofficials in Ambon as a highly creative principal who was able to
\nkeep classes going at the state-run SMK 3 vocational school.<\/p>\n
Fishing companies, contractors and mechanical workshops now
\nfind themselves in areas that have become strictly Christian or
\nMuslim, and business is just starting to take off again.<\/p>\n
Latumahina is proud that some of his students have joined a
\n30-member group of Christian and Muslim students who are
\nreceiving training in construction skills in West Java.<\/p>\n
The school, which was originally located in the Weiheru
\ndistrict outside Ambon city, has now divided its classes between
\nthree locations for the sake of teacher and student safety --
\nWeiheru itself, the nearby Lateri district and Halong. The latter
\nis where Christian and Muslim students can study together; it is
\na navy complex where the refugee camp houses both Christians and
\nMuslims.<\/p>\n
The teachers make use of whatever material they have; the
\nmotorcycle engines for practicing on were all stolen. Some
\nteachers still live in shelters with dozens of other refugees as
\ntheir homes were among the thousands razed to the ground.<\/p>\n
The dedicated teachers have tried their best to overcome their
\nown trauma. Complaints are rare; the situation in Maluku now is
\nmuch better compared to the days when their salaries were paid on
\nthe sidewalk. \"We tried to work whenever and however we could,\"
\nsays Latumahina. \"We even signed report cards on the side of the
\nroad.\"<\/p>\n
Normal classes would be unable to resume, he said, until the
\nsurrounding communities were ready. In the early days after the
\nconflict broke out in 1999, he recalled, \"there were students who
\nalmost stabbed each other.\"<\/p>\n
\"We need trauma counseling,\" Latumahina said, and not only the
\nservices such as those provided by small, hard-working non-
\ngovernmental organizations, such as the Caring Women's Movement
\n(Gerakan Perempuan Peduli) in Ambon. Citing what he had seen
\noverseas, he said that counselors must be based in the schools
\neven during normal, peaceful times so as to ensure easy access
\nfor students.<\/p>\n
On the surface, the trauma is unseen as spirited students
\nexpress their hopes of being able to relieve the burden on their
\nparents and to work on big ships, or study about the biodiversity
\nof their seas.<\/p>\n
Yet, the urgent need for trauma counseling is clearly beyond
\nthe capacity of even the most creative school managers to
\nprovide.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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