SMKN 61 Emphasises Importance of Cadet Education for Self-Reliance

SMK Negeri 61 in the Thousand Islands Regency, DKI Jakarta Province, is emphasising the importance of cadet education as a foundation for building self-reliance, enabling students to compete professionally at home and abroad. School principal Firdaus stated that one of the biggest challenges when students work overseas is their mental readiness to live far from their families. “The problem when students go abroad is self-reliance. The inability to be independent from their parents,” Firdaus said on Tidung Island on Thursday. For this reason, the school equips students with a cadet education system aimed at instilling discipline, responsibility, and independence before they enter the workforce. He believes that a school environment with a boarding system and character development can be a way to train students to be better prepared for life overseas. Firdaus also explained that SMKN 61 has five skills programmes: Commercial Ship Nautics, Commercial Ship Engineering, Fishing Vessel Nautics, Brackish Water and Marine Fisheries Agribusiness, and Culinary. Three of these departments have received international recognition or approval: Commercial Ship Nautics, Commercial Ship Engineering, and Fishing Vessel Nautics. This status means the diplomas of graduates from these three programmes are accepted in the global shipping industry, in accordance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). In terms of facilities, he added that the school also has supporting resources such as a bridge simulator, an engine simulator, and supporting laboratories to enhance student competencies according to industry needs. Firdaus therefore considers the success of graduates working abroad to be the result of a combination of industry-based learning, school facilities, character education, and an authentic maritime learning environment. “What is important is not only technical competence, but also mentality and genuine maritime experience,” he said.