Mimika struggles for better education

Markus Mardius, The Jakarta Post, Mimika

Mimika, one of Indonesia's youngest regencies, is an irony as far as education and people's welfare are concerned. The sparsely populated Papua (also called Irian Jaya) is rich in natural resources but the natives live largely in poverty, and have yet to catch up with other provinces for a higher standard of education, culture and prosperity.

While Indonesia observes May 2 as National Education Day, Mimika--like any other part of Papua--is enduring the lack of resources to develop education.

In the ongoing fiscal year, the regency administration allocates Rp 4 billion (about US$400,000) for education, including renovations of run-down school buildings.

School buildings, especially those outside the town, are in a deplorable state. Quality wise, education there is just as appalling.

The lack of human and economic resources makes it impossible to implement the compulsory nine-year education in Mimika.

Official data shows that Mimika regency has 64 elementary schools, 28 of those are private and the remaining 36 are state schools.

"The best we can do is to encourage the pupils to study hard despite the conditions," said FH Letsoin, principal of elementary school Koperapoka, some 20 kilometers south of Mimika.

"You can see how serious it is for the pupils here to follow the lessons but in fact they find it hard to concentrate because they have exerted their energy helping their parents work on the farm, planting tubers and taking care of their pigs."

Malnutrition is a huge problem among pupils due to the common poverty. People in the hinterland have to walk for several days to Mimika to buy their basic needs, such as rice and milk.

For parents in general, sending their children to school is just a waste of money and they would rather have their offsprings at home helping them make a living.

Students, who have to cover a great distance to go to school barefooted, have to drop out of school because mainly of financial reasons. They cannot afford to buy books, clothes and pay their school fees.

"The great distance between home and school is also a problem. When it rains, many will have to stay away from school. We have to persuade the parents, too, to allow their children to go to school," added Letsoin.

The local education office puts the drop-out rate at the elementary school at 34 percent. According to Yuventus Ramidi, an official at the office, many pupils will quit school as soon as they are able to read and write, believing that the basic literacy is what school is all about.

Moses Hindom, chief of Mimika's education and culture office, said that the administration was determined to mend the situation.

"We have allocated Rp 4 billion for education this year. It is indeed a small fund and we will have to spend effectively every single rupiah of it," he said.

Many teachers have criticized the small fund for education. Stefanus Kamo, principal of Banti school, some five kilometers from Tembagapura, or 205 kilometers from Mimika said that the local government did not fight hard enough for a bigger budget from the provincial administration.

Kamo's school has 302 pupils. The high drop-out rate is a big problem. Many parents want their children to stay at home and help them with the household and farm jobs.

Teachers also complain about meager wages, which often come late.

"Very often our salary is cut without reasons from the government. There are too many injustices we cannot protest," said Paul Wakerwa, principal of YPGGI school at Kwamki Lama.

The elementary school of Nawaripi, some 30 kilometers north of Mimika, is typical. Built only four years ago, it is in bad shape. The foundation has been exposed by erosion, doors lost and roofs leaky.

Classes will be stopped immediately and pupils sent home when it rains. Teachers have complained that the provincial administration has not responded to their request for funds to fix the building.

"Sometimes, the classes are moved to the nearby church with the priests' consent. Government bureaucrats in the province should come and see the school," said Piet Nawipa, Nawaripi school headmaster.

School textbooks are scarce. Some students are lucky enough to get used books from the more affluent families working in a mining company in the area.

All the problems explain why very few people continue their studies at the secondary level. Most of them prefer to help their parents on the farm instead of pursuing their studies.

When asked what they know about National Education Day that falls on May 2, pupils say they have heard of it but they have no idea what it is all about.

"We know that May 2 is the National Education Day, which is celebrated by those who study in Java. It is no big deal to us and why should we celebrate it?" asked John Wakerwa, a six grader of Nawaripi elementary school.