Jafar's pursuit of a Paket C diploma to work in a high-rise building

Bogor, Kompas.com - A young man named Jafar, 19, has enrolled in a Pusat Kegiatan Belajar Masyarakat (PKBM) to pursue a high school diploma and its equivalents because he finds it hard to secure work. Jafar, together with his mother, Nur Ainun, 45, visited East Bogor District, Bogor City, to look for the PKBM closest to their home. Since graduating from Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs) or an equivalent to a secondary school in Ciawi in 2023, Jafar decided to go abroad to earn money in Bandung. The weekly earnings from his labour amount to Rp 700,000. For him, that sum is substantial to meet his needs in Bandung. Along with a friend, Jafar stayed in a boarding house in the Kiaracondong area, sharing the accommodation costs. ‘Enticed by the money, it’s enough for weekly spending of Rp 700,000. There, living in a boarding house with a friend, the rent is shared, with each paying Rp 250,000,’ he explained. After earning that amount, Jafar said he no longer considered pursuing education and only wanted to focus on saving money to ease his parents’ burden. His father works as a street vendor selling fashionable glasses, while his mother is a housewife. As the eldest of two siblings, Jafar felt compelled to improve his family’s welfare. However, the struggle to improve the family’s welfare has not been smooth, hindered by the lack of a diploma for earning a higher salary. ‘It’s hard to get a job, that’s why I’m chasing a diploma,’ he explained. He continues to look for work on days when there are no PKBM classes, even though he does not yet know what job he will take. ‘My plan is to look for work while studying so as not to burden my parents,’ he asserted.