People's School Gives Welder a Dream of Going to Japan

The smell of burning iron from a welding torch was once the daily reality for Aldo Riski Saputra, a second-year student at Sekolah Rakyat Terintegrasi (SRT) 5 Ponorogo. Now, the 16-year-old is rebuilding his life. Despite his young age, Aldo is already accustomed to the world of work. He is skilled at shaping iron to make fences, railings, canopies, and food racks. However, behind his abilities, he once faced a difficult period, including falling in with the wrong crowd, before deciding to turn his life around and focus on his future.

Two years ago, while at SMPN 2 Sampung in Ponorogo, Aldo’s path wavered. A bad social environment led him to frequently skip school and break rules. An accumulation of penalty points forced him to leave formal education. ‘At that time, I fell into the wrong crowd. I followed friends who were unruly, hung out, and smoked,’ Aldo said on Saturday (20/6/2026). Dropping out at a young age left Aldo confused about his direction. In that situation, he decided to work. For nearly six months, he worked at a neighbour’s welding workshop before moving to Mojokerto and Malang to help install banners.

The work he undertook was challenging and risky. Without proper eye protection, Aldo learned to weld on his own. ‘I often got hit by welding sparks. My eyes would swell up and I couldn’t see. That happened more than three times,’ he said. Despite the risks, Aldo showed good aptitude. In a short time, he could make various iron structures, including the more complex trellis technique. Financially, he became independent. From a contract job making a fence over a week, he earned around Rp600,000. For a food rack completed in two days, he received about Rp250,000. He also travelled with a relative to install banners along roads. For a teenager, holding hundreds of thousands of rupiah earned from his own sweat was certainly tempting, especially since his father, a construction worker, had to support three boys still in school. But Aldo knew this was not the end of his journey.

A turning point came when a relative told him about Sekolah Rakyat Terintegrasi (SRT) 5 Ponorogo, an institution that offers learning opportunities for children who have dropped out of school. After considering it, Aldo decided to return home and enrol. Going back to school meant Aldo had to give up his income. Now, he is once again a second-year junior high school student at SRT 5 Ponorogo. ‘It feels different. I used to hold money, now I don’t. But everything here is provided. Food, toiletries, equipment, it’s all complete. It feels like someone is looking after me,’ said the second of three siblings. When asked why he was willing to leave his earnings to return to school, Aldo’s answer was simple: ‘I want to fix my future.’ He realised his skills would be much stronger if supported by formal education. Aldo did not want to remain an unskilled labourer without clear direction forever.

At SRT 5 Ponorogo, Aldo is slowly getting his life back on track. He has left behind his old habits of smoking and truancy. He is now known as an active student who enjoys social studies and sports, especially volleyball and badminton. Aldo was even selected to join the contingent for the National Jamboree in Cibubur, though fate intervened as he was disqualified at the last minute due to age restrictions. Aldo’s welding skills will not be wasted at this school. The headmaster plans to build a special welding workshop behind the storage area so Aldo can continue honing his talent and share his knowledge with his peers. ‘I want to continue to senior high school, then go to language school. I want to learn Japanese,’ he said. Aldo understands that Japan needs many skilled workers in the welding and agriculture sectors. With a diploma, certificates, and the underwater welding skills he intends to learn, Japan is no longer just a dream in his head. Although his ambitions soar as far as the Land of the Sakura, Aldo’s greatest motivation remains his modest home in Ponorogo. From welding sparks to textbooks at Sekolah Rakyat Terintegrasi (SRT) 5 Ponorogo, Aldo has proven that daring to turn away from the wrong path is the first step towards a brighter future. ‘My dream is simply to make my parents happy. To be able to send them on the hajj pilgrimage,’ he concluded.