Educational gains being made

CIKADU, Banten, West Java (JP): Cikadu Kampong, Tanjungjaya village, Panimbang regency, Banten, West Java, now has two junior high schools. Seventy junior high school students are able to study close to home.

The school principal, Agus Sumadiyono, said that the schools began operations at the start of the current educational year.

"This is part of the programs conducted by the South Bantenese Development Foundation (SBDF). Last year, children here had to go very far to continue their studies," he said.

Of the two high schools, he said the first one was an open school with a referral to a state junior high school in Panimbang regency, while the second one was a normal school, called Darma Cahya Purnama.

"Actually the educational programs of both schools are run in the same building. It's just an administrative formality, so we call one an open-school," he said, adding that there were now 35 first year students studying at Darma Cahya Purnama and 37 second year students at the open school.

SBDF is a nonprofit, independent organization working to improve the local community's standard of living in the kampong. In addition to the educational and vocational programs, the foundation's activities include health affairs, art and culture and socioeconomic improvements.

Madiyo said the initial challenge in running the school was to encourage parents to send their children to the school.

"I had to approach the children, their parents and local figures to convince them about the importance of education," he said.

He was sad to realize the local perspective, that the children did not realize their rights to get an education.

"It takes only three to four hours from Jakarta, the capital of the nation, to get in here. But there's a serious difference between the condition of the children in the two locations," he said.

He said that it was challenging to motivate the children go to school. "In many cases, parents have also to be motivated to push their children's schooling, even though they understand they don't have to pay any tuition," he said, adding that it was his dream to see all the children go to school.

He said that previously, out of some 100 students who graduated from five elementary schools in the neighborhood, less than 10 students decided to continue to a higher level.

"The other challenge is about language. It is more efficient to speak the local dialect, that's why we invite local people as motivators," he said.

He said that the two schools taught the standard curriculum and that the foundation supported them with educational supplies like books and writing materials.

"Some of the students can arrange their uniforms, but a few are still unable to purchase shoes. That's fine, since they have the motivation to study," he said.

Madiyo, originally from Central Java, is a senior teacher experienced in community development programs. He said that he was supported by 14 teachers in running the school.

"For the time being, the foundation supports us with some financial aid, particularly teachers' allowances. I don't know what will happen if the limited funds end within the next few months. It's impossible to ask tuition from the parents. They are still poor with unstable monthly incomes of only hundreds of thousands of rupiah," he said, adding that lessons were held at the local elementary school building, built by SBDF.

Madiyo said lessons are held between 12.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. as they must wait for the building to be vacant after being used by the elementary students in the morning.

"It's a problem because there are still some student who fail to attend class as they are asked by their parents to continue working or taking care their younger children. That's why we plan to build another school, so we can add some additional curriculum for vocational preparation," he said.

He said that land had been designated for a new building but there were no funds to start construction.

In the meantime, the local authorities have agreed on the current school operation, though a formal letter would not be issued in the near future, he said.

"The local office has, in principle, agreed, so we start now. If we wait for formal documentation, the program will have to wait until next year. They understand that the school began this year. Education can't wait and time is so precious," he said.

He said that he taught Pancasila (the state ideology) and also inserted moral education for the students.

"It's very important to open the student's eyes about life and morality. I understand that some students cannot continue their studies because their parents forced them to marry. It's sad that nowadays, I still find a 16-year-old widower married twice," he said.

History teacher Suharyanto, said that he found the students very motivated to learn.

"They are diligent. It's our job to maintain their enthusiasm. It's important to get support from their parents, so we also motivate them," he said.

Suharyanto is also a handicrafts instructor, training the students to be creative and innovative.

He said that he always tried to find new ideas on how to create useful things from waste.

"I teach the student to look for coconuts to create key- holders or make other accessories from seashells, rocks and other things. This will be useful for the students once they decide to earn incomes by creating handicrafts," he said.

An Indonesian language teacher, Amir, who is also an instructor for the local boy scouts and cultural extracurricular activities, said that he found the students to be fast learners.

"The students are very fast in memorizing dances. One time, the students performed a dance at an event covered by a private television station. They are very proud of this," he said.

He said that as a Cikadu native, it was a matter of pride to get involved in the program to improve the community. (icn)