JP/10/BANTAR

JP/10/BANTAR

Franziska Schill
Contributor
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

"If nobody supports us, how can our dreams become true?" asks
Tryanita, 12, living at dump site Bantar Gebang.

Tryanita and her friends, Siti, 12, and Nurhayati, 13,
may live in Bantar Gebang, the largest dumpsite in the country.

But they also have their biggest dream. Tryanita wants to
become an engineer, Siti wants to be a doctor, while Nurhayati
hopes to become a policewoman when she grows up.

For other people, it is within their reach. But for the three
girls, it seems a distance away.

They are lucky as they belong to the 476 of a total of 967
school age children and youths in Bantar Gebang who have the
possibility to attend school.

Nevertheless, they also have to help their parents at work,
which means that for two to three hours a day they cut out the
plastic labels from water bottles.

Education in the area is so poor that it is hard to believe
that it is only two hours drive from Jakarta, the country's
capital city.

There are only three kindergartens and one elementary school
in the area. In addition, parents's awareness of the importance
of education is still low.

Often when they are getting older, more and more children
leave school in order to work full time with their parents at the
dumpsite.

The girls show us "SD 5+", the school they attended until last
year and which is one of the four informal schools in Bantar
Gebang.

The building comprises four classrooms and is situated in a
residential area surrounded by mountains of plastic, paper and
garbage sacks.

"SD 5+" was founded by Lentera Hati and the International
Labor Organization (ILO). As it is an informal school, the
children only study until grade 5 instead of grade 6.

To study in SD 5+, the parents have to pay Rp 2,000 (22 U.S.
cents) per month.

"At first, we didn't charge any fees. But we want to educate
the parents to be responsible for their children's education so,
we ask them to pay," Muhammad Dony Prestanto, a social worker in
Bekasi told The Jakarta Post.

Here in SD 5+, the students do not wear uniforms and they are
not taught by regular teachers but instead by volunteers, for
example journalists.

Since most of them have to work with their parents in the
dumpsite, they can choose their own time to study. There are two
sessions in a day they can choose from -- from 7 a.m. to midday
or from 1 p.m to 6 p.m.

What they are taught does not differ from the normal school
curriculum. The only difference is they use copied text books and
hold their own examinations to keep school fees as low as
possible.

On Sundays social workers go to the parents of the children
who are not yet attending school, and ask their permission to let
them enter school.

Tryanita, Siti and Nurhayati belong to the few lucky children
who are even able to enjoy further education at public elementary
school SDN Cikiwul outside Bantar Gebang.

Sixty percent of the school fees as well as the uniforms are
paid for by local NGO Yayasan Dinamika Indonesia, the remaining
40 percent have to be covered by the parents.

Dony said the same scheme to pay children's school fees will
continue until they reach high school.

Although the girls love going to school, they are very much
looking forward to the new radio station, which is going to be
established for them, as they expect it to develop their talents
and give them a chance to be heard.

On the one hand, the children should have fun listening to the
radio while at work, fun also when setting up a program for the
radio.

"I would love to learn how to become a radio broadcaster. It
sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe, I can become an anchor on one of
the television stations," Siti chuckled.

A group of radio professionals and social workers are now
helping them to set up the program as well as training them how
to make radio programs. With the help from volunteers the radio
will be prepared and run by the children themselves.

Through the new radio the children should learn how to
represent themselves by uttering their opinions and their wishes,
hoping that people would support their education.

The girls' glowing faces reveal that they do not shun the
work connected with the radio. On the contrary, they expect great
changes to come through the radio. They hope that one day their
dreams will come true.