Zaenal's dream to be in the Army<\/p>\n
His radiant eyes blinked with doubt. His mouth trembled, but
\nno words were uttered.<\/p>\n
There was a long silence. The 12-year-old boy cast his eyes
\ntoward the sea and the palm and mangrove trees in the distance.
\nStill in doubt he mumbled: \"I would like to be in the Army one
\nday.\"<\/p>\n
His name is Zaenal. He is a sixth grader at the Kenyamukan
\nPrimary School in Kenyamukan hamlet, Teluk Lingga village,
\nSanggata subdistrict, Kutai Timur regency. Just like other boys
\nhis age in this hinterland, Zaenal does not automatically warm up
\nto strangers passing through the area.<\/p>\n
However, his expression does not reveal any fear of the
\nstranger standing in front of him. Zainuddin, the hamlet chief,
\ncommented: \"It's hard to get the children here to communicate
\nwith strangers.\"<\/p>\n
Although it is located in Sanggata subdistrict -- the capital
\nof Kutai Timur -- Kenyamukan hamlet is a remote place. The 11-
\nkilometer-long road connecting the hamlet to Sanggata is rutted
\nand damaged -- tough terrain even for a four-wheel drive vehicle
\n-- making the hamlet isolated.<\/p>\n
Electricity is available not from state-owned electricity
\ncompany PLN, but from a diesel generator owned by Miming, a
\nformer neighborhood unit chief. The generator is operated from
\nabout six in the evening until midnight. The generator is able to
\nprovide enough power to light the houses in the hamlet.<\/p>\n
Dano Mapi, the community development supervisor for PT Kaltim
\nPrima Coal (KPC), who is familiar with the area, said traveling
\nto Kenyamukan hamlet before the year 2000 was a strenuous
\nadventure. Even the wet, muddy road filled with potholes all
\nalong the brackish marshes did not exist before then. To reach
\nTeluk Lingga there were only a few choices: go by foot, by
\ntraditional boat from the old Sanggata market or aboard a KPC
\nspeedboat from the company's coal terminal in Tanjung Bara.<\/p>\n
Traveling by traditional boat or by a KPC speedboat was not
\npossible at all times. \"When the sea is rough, nobody dares to
\nventure out into the angry waves for a trip to Kenyamukan,\" Dano
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Traveling Teacher<\/p>\n
Located in the estuary of the Kenyamukan River, the hamlet is
\npart of Teluk Lingga village. There are 21 families in the
\nhamlet, who make their living fishing. The hamlet, with a
\npopulation of some 150 people, was established in 1991 by eight
\nfamilies who had previously lived in Teluk Lombok.<\/p>\n
Zainuddin, one of the founders of the hamlet, said the move
\nwas principally due to geographical reasons. \"In comparison to
\nTeluk Lombok, here we are relatively more protected from the
\nrough seas and wind,\" said the 40-year-old man.<\/p>\n
The palm and mangrove trees that line the coast close to the
\nestuary act as a natural fortress in absorbing the rough seas and
\nwinds during high tide. They also protect the boats containing
\nfishing equipment that are anchored far inside the Kenyamukan
\nRiver estuary.<\/p>\n
On the scenic grass-covered land and white sandy beaches,
\nsandwiched between the river and the sea, these migrants from
\nTeluk Lombok have built their wooden houses. For adventure lovers
\nthe exotic beauty of Kenyamukan hamlet is a magnet in itself.<\/p>\n
For all the beauty of the area and its other advantages, the
\npeople of the hamlet still had one simple wish: to have their
\nchildren receive a formal education. This dream proved difficult
\nto fulfill, however, because of the hamlet's isolation.<\/p>\n
But the dream was realized six years after the establishment
\nof the hamlet -- in 1997 -- when a traveling teacher began to
\nvisit the hamlet regularly to teach several children in a room
\nthat became known as the \"the school\". The school -- three-by-
\nthree meters-- was nothing more than a room with a dirt floor
\nbelonging to a resident. It is also the room where hamlet
\nresidents gather to watch TV.<\/p>\n
Some 15 meters from a small mosque, the room does not offer
\nmuch in the way of comfort for the students. Its tin roof often
\nleaks during the rainy season. The pupils have to endure the
\nrough weather during their lessons. With no windows and only two
\nopenings for going in and out, the room truly tests the
\ndedication of the teacher and his pupils.<\/p>\n
No one complains though. Everyone is full of gratitude simply
\nfor the opportunity. \"I would like my children to become
\neducated,\" said Musa, another founder of the hamlet. \"We are glad
\nthat our children are now able to read and count. I hope they can
\nlive better when they grow up,\" another resident, Rinto, said.<\/p>\n
The modest school, consisting of three grades, only had
\nseveral pupils when it was established. With all four of his
\nchildren attending the Kenyamukan primary school, Zainuddin
\nrecalled those days when every morning the children rushed to the
\nschool and patiently waited for the teacher. On rainy days when
\nthe teacher did not appear, the pupils diligently carried on with
\ntheir studies as usual.<\/p>\n
A building and a teacher's house<\/p>\n
Two years after the establishment of \"the makeshift school
\nlocated where a TV is provided for the public to watch\", Dano
\nMapi of PT KPC and Ishak of the subdistrict national education
\noffice began to think of providing a proper school with decent
\nclassrooms. With the help of PT KPC, a building with two
\nclassrooms and a teacher's house were built in Kenyamukan hamlet.<\/p>\n
\"The building materials were taken to Sangatta by a chartered
\nkelotok boat. After they were unloaded, some locals where hired
\nto carry them to the site where the school was going to be
\nbuilt,\" Dano said.<\/p>\n
The school building was planned for a nonresidential area
\nabout a 30-minute walk from the hamlet. Two buildings -- one for
\na school with two classrooms able to accommodate 40 pupils each
\nplus teaching and learning facilities, and the other to be used
\nas a teacher's house -- have now been built on an area of clayish
\nland.<\/p>\n
PT KPC has also provided two teachers as well as books and
\nother facilities for the learning and teaching process. The books
\nand other items have been collected from teachers, parents and
\nstudents from the Prima Swarga Bara Educational Foundation, and
\nalso from employees of PT KPC and members of Periska, the
\nAssociation of Wives of Employees of PT KPC.<\/p>\n
As Noke Kiroyan, president director of PT KPC put it, PT KPC
\nhelped establish the Kenyamukan elementary school and provided
\nassistance for the learning and teaching process there not merely
\nas part of its community development program, but also because
\nthe company sincerely hopes that the younger generation can lead
\na better life through education.<\/p>\n
The two semipermanent classrooms that PT KPC has established in
\nKenyamukan hamlet are now used for six classes that are taught
\nsimultaneously. Pupils in the first to third grades study in one
\nclass while those from the fourth to the sixth grades study in
\nthe other.<\/p>\n
\"Putting pupils of different grades in one room poses a
\nchallenge in terms of time and the quality of teaching. In this
\ncase, a teacher will need more time to make his pupils really
\nunderstand what he has taught them,\" said Mahdin, the school's
\nprincipal.<\/p>\n
The school now has four permanent teachers. One of them, Weli,
\nhas been assigned to the school since May 1999. He grew up in
\nTeluk Lingga and completed his vocational school in Bontang.<\/p>\n
The school has a total of 27 pupils: four in grade 1; three in
\ngrade 2; nine in grade 3; six in grade 4; and two in grade 6.
\nGenerally the students come from Kenyamukan hamlet, although some
\ncome from the areas of Sungai Bendera and Rawa Gabus.<\/p>\n
The pupils from Sungai Bendera and the low-lying area of Rawa
\nGabus have to make a more arduous journey to get to the school
\nthan those students coming from Kenyamukan hamlet. While it only
\ntakes Zaenal 30 minutes to walk home from school, Maskur, Nurdin,
\nLeny and Nuripa, all from Sungai Bendera, take a much longer
\ntime. They have to wade through a muddy road and cross a brackish
\nswamp, covering a distance of over five kilometers.<\/p>\n
For them, however, this challenge can be turned into a sport
\nof sorts. \"It is a matter of habit. The children from Rawa Gabus
\nare good runners. They can run under the scorching sun or brave
\nthe heavy rain. On the other hand, the children from Kenyamukan
\nare very good swimmers,\" said Weli, adding that the children
\nusually started to school at about 5:30 in the morning. Some
\nchildren even leave home much earlier, said Weli, adding that
\nthe pupils usually arrive at school early and have to wait for
\nthe teachers.<\/p>\n
Thanks to the seriousness with which they take their studies,
\nthe children of Kenyamukan elementary school have made good
\nachievements and are the pride of their parents. The children,
\nfor example, scored well on the examinations given by the
\nSangatta subdistrict national education office. \"Some even got
\n10s,\" said Mahdin with pride.<\/p>\n
But the children still have a long way to go in their
\neducations. They will have to study hard to realize the hopes of
\ntheir parents in Kenyamukan hamlet and its surroundings.
\nNonetheless, this school deserves a thumbs-up, although only one
\npupil so far has completed his elementary school studies there
\n(he is now studying at a junior high school in Bontang.)<\/p>\n
These days, Zaenal and his classmates -- they will complete
\nelementary school next year -- are expected to maintain their
\nenthusiasm to learn at a higher level. Mahdin said, \"In this way,
\nthey will show the other children how valuable education is.\"<\/p>\n
The children of Kenyamukan elementary school know what it is
\nto chase after dreams and see them come true. At night, under the
\nglow of a lamp, these children are absorbed in their studies and
\nare nurturing their aspirations.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/zaenals-dream-to-be-in-the-army-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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