Quality Education Paves the Way to Dream Campuses
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BANGKA – Mornings at the Pemali Boarding School always start early. Several students are already awake before sunrise, tidying their beds and preparing for the morning activities before heading to school for academic lessons.
For them, this early morning routine is a habit that has been set as an example by their seniors. Later, this habit will become their capital to improve the living standards of their families in their hometowns.
In the boarding school environment, students have the space and opportunity to learn and develop better. Through a scholarship-based boarding school program, students from families of daily laborers, fishermen, and odd-job workers now have access to education that was previously difficult to reach.
The Pemali Boarding School program, supported by PT Timah, a member of the MIND ID mining industry holding company, has been running since 2000 and reaches the regions of Bangka Belitung, Karimun, and Meranti. To date, around 952 alumni have benefited from the program.
Behind these figures, the Head of the Pemali Boarding School, Ulul, said that the majority of students come from families with limited economic conditions.
“Many parents were initially hesitant due to financial constraints. They could not imagine that their children could have access to such educational facilities,” said Ulul in a statement quoted on Saturday (16/5/2026).
However, after understanding that this program provides full support, from the company, ranging from education to various coaching programs, the parents actually became the ones who most encouraged their children to participate in the selection process.
As a result, every year 36 students are selected to receive full scholarships and live in the dormitory while attending SMA Negeri 1 Pemali. The selection process is carried out through academic and psychological assessments in collaboration with a team from Padjadjaran University.
Ulul emphasized that the coaching in the dormitory is not only focused on academics. Students are also equipped with skills such as public speaking, social media management, and character and leadership development.
This coaching is carried out regularly to help students face challenges outside of school, both in the world of work and in community life. “We are not only building academic abilities, but also their self-confidence and how they see the future,” he said.
The impact of this program can be seen from the achievements of the students. This year, 20 students successfully passed the selection to universities through the achievement track, while other students are still undergoing the selection process through the test track.
The students also recorded achievements in Indonesian and English debate competitions at the Bangka Regency level. In addition, the more crucial impact can be seen in the long term. Many alumni continue their education or have jobs, and are slowly starting to contribute back to their communities.
“They not only change personally, but also have an influence on their families and communities. That is what is most felt,” he said.
According to Ulul, the biggest challenge for the students actually arises during the initial adaptation period. Some students have never lived far from their parents and have to adjust to a more disciplined learning pattern.
“However, that process is what shapes them. Over time, the students begin to show changes. Those who were initially quiet become more courageous in speaking, more confident, and able to follow a more structured learning rhythm,” he explained.
For children from coastal areas and mining areas, this opportunity is not just about going to school. This opportunity becomes a starting point that opens up a new future, to continue their education, help their families, and see the future in a different way than before.