North Maluku refugee always top of the class

Jongker Rumteh, The Jakarta Post, Manado

In mid-June this year, several representatives of the Sampoerna Foundation came to Manado, North Sulawesi, to select senior high school students to receive scholarships.

Five high school students received a scholarship to cover two years' study abroad. The five have received a scholarship of Rp 50,000 monthly from the foundation for six months. A representative of the Sampoerna Foundation, Hendri B. Satrio, said that the foundation would continue to monitor the progress of the five while abroad. If their academic achievements were good, the foundation would offer them a further scholarship.

One of the five is 16-year-old Richard Waery, a second-grader at Manado senior high school No. 5. The eldest of three, Richard comes from a refugee family from North Maluku. His parents are Zadrak Waery, 40, and Adrientje Sipola Waery, 39. His sister Fandy, 6, attends elementary school while brother Adrian, 15, is in his second year of senior high school.

Richard was born in Daruba village, South Morotai, North Halmahera, North Maluku, on Sept. 20, 1988. He attended elementary school and junior high school in Ternate, North Maluku.

Generally a quiet boy, Richard is quite loquacious with the right people. Besides which he always helps his parents.

Richard and his family have lived in a refugee shelter in Manado since 2000. Despite this, Richard has always been top of his class although -- unlike the other four recipients of the Sampoerna Foundation two-year scholarships -- he has never had any extra tuition.

To prepare for his departure for the United States, Richard, with sponsorship from the Sampoerna Foundation, is now taking an intensive English course.

When, early one morning, a number of reporters and representatives from the Sampoerna Foundation met him in the camp for North Maluku refugees in Manado, Richard was shoving and jostling with dozens of other refugees for a pail of water from the only well in the camp.

"We get up at 5 a.m. My brother and I then collect some water. Then we open our small kiosk to help the family. Mom cooks for us. Dad finds a job just anywhere," said Richard, who appeared surprised by the visit from Sampoerna Foundation representatives and TV reporters from Jakarta.

As they have to run the kiosk, Richard and Adrian sometimes get to school late. Richard said that he studied at night in a camp packed with over 100 refugees. It is located in an old building owned by the North Sulawesi administration.

"I used to want to be a doctor, but now I don't think I could ever study to become one as my parents cannot afford to send me to medical school. Now, I have changed my mind and want to be an accountant so that I can quickly find a job and help my family," said Richard, who added that he and his brothers always studied together.

However, when he learned that he had won a scholarship, he said that he could perhaps return to his old ambition. He added that except for singing, he could easily learn all the other subjects at school.

"I always get the highest marks for all subjects. Last year, I wanted to take part in the Math and Physics Olympiad but my parents were against the idea as they were afraid that the joining fee was too high.

Subsequently, my school wanted to put me through a selection process for model students at Manado level but my parents were against the idea, too, as they did not have enough money for my trip to the selection site, which is outside Manado city," said Richard, who added that he had ranked first in the class every year since he was in the first grade of elementary school.

As he usually helps his parents at home, Richard, who likes playing soccer and the guitar, does not actively take part in extracurricular activities. On Sundays, he teaches in the Sunday school of his church and reads the Bible.

His father said that he had never pushed his son hard to study.

"I used to be a sidewalk vendor in Ternate and now earn a living as a construction worker in Manado. Every day I walk around Manado to find a job. Sometimes I go to Ternate in North Maluku to see the remaining part of our plantation.

"Clearly, I have no time to monitor my children's studies. Like me, my wife hardly every pushes our children to study. We believe God has bestowed intelligence on all our children. Every time they get a report card, their teachers tell us that they are top of the class,'said Zadrak, who had to move to Manado with his family in September 2000 owing to the riot that broke out in North Maluku.

Zadrak, who said he could hardly believe that Richard had won a scholarship to study in the United States, attributed the above-average intelligence level of his children to their diet of vegetables and fish.

Meanwhile, the principal of Richard's school, Joni Sualang, told The Jakarta Post that he and his colleagues were surprised to see that Richard, who came from a refugee family, always topped the class.

He said that owing to his excellent academic records, Richard was always chosen to represent the school in contests but that, unfortunately, he could never make it as his parents could not cover the expenses. He added that Richard's younger brother, Adrian, was equally intelligent.

"We are proud that Icad has won the scholarship as it means catapulting the reputation of Manado school No. 5, " said Joni, referring to Richard by his nickname.

The school, he added, tried to find scholarships for gifted students from less well-off families. Apart from the Sampoerna Foundation, scholarships have also come from the North Sulawesi National Education Office (Rp 30,000 monthly for each recipient) and also from the government oil fuel compensation scheme (Rp 25,000 monthly for each student). This year 24 students received these two types of scholarships.

Joni also said that the entire school hoped that Richard would make excellent progress in his studies in the United States so that ultimately he could complete a master's degree.