Vocational schools give hope to Maluku's young

Vocational schools give hope to Maluku's young

Ati Nurbaiti, The Jakarta Post, Langgur, Kei Kecil, Maluku

Pearls adorn the souvenir shops in Tual town, no surprise given
that the Little Kei Islands and the other isles in Southeast
Maluku are surrounded by the crystal clear waters essential for
pearl cultivation.

What does come as a surprise, however, is that the cultivators
and exporters are mainly Japanese.

The technology is such a mystery to locals that the Fishing
Polytechnic College here has not bothered to develop a program on
pearl cultivation. Neither has Pattimura University in Ambon,
Maluku's capital, despite Pattimura's prioritization of maritime
resources studies.

The local type of pearl, the blister, is formed naturally by
mucus secretions from the oyster. But without the appropriate
techniques, it cannot become perfectly round and as shiny as the
much more expensive, quality export pearls.

"There has been no transfer of technology," says college
director P. Beruatwarin, referring to the Japanese control of the
pearl business.

Without a knowledge of pearl cultivation, Maluku is capable of
only providing unskilled workers for the trade.

This also applies to other maritime industries. Many members
of the younger generation in Maluku work on fishing boats
belonging to companies from Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries
-- mainly at the lowest level.

The diploma programs offered by the Fishing Polytechnic
College aim to fill in these gap, Beruatwarin said. "We have the
scholars and the people to become workers, but the middle level
is virtually devoid of Maluku people", he said. Education and
economic development had to be based on the awareness that locals
had only benefited from 30 percent of the available maritime
resources, he added.

The college gained state recognition only after the Maluku
conflict erupted, as a result of which students could no longer
continue their studies in Ambon.

Following an improvement in the situation in Maluku, educators
and planners must now work hard to provide human resources
equipped with the required skills, such as those related to fish
catching, processing and breeding, navigation, and technical
skills in the shipping sector.

In Ambon, Pattimura University rector Mus Huliselan also said
that Maluku's young people should be at the forefront of
innovation regarding maritime resources, especially given that
the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement was now in full force.

Maluku's waters have long been a happy hunting ground for
vessels owned by foreign and Jakarta-based companies, which
exploit the waters fished by traditional fishermen.

It is now apparent as AFTA takes effect that Maluku has a long
way to go: Apart from protecting the ordinary fisherfolk, the
most basic educational need is simply the resumption of classes,
and the replacement of equipment destroyed or stolen during the
disturbances.

The good news for vocational schools is that in the post-
conflict period, Maluku residents seem to have less reservations
about participating in vocational education. Previously, most
youngsters, encouraged by their parents, wanted to study in
general high schools in the hope of landing a job in the
bureaucracy, educators say.

And with a greater desire to enter the workforce straight
after high school, the vocational schools are a stepping stone to
employment in the fishing and shipping industries, as well as in
the trades.

At the moment, ensuring that classes can be held is a struggle
in itself. In the aftermath of the conflict, teachers and
students often find it difficult to reach the schools because of
the religious segregation that has ensued. A number of vocational
schools were also mindlessly razed to the ground.

But school management boards knew they could not wait forever,
and many students were sent to study in other schools in safe
locations; meaning Christian students and teachers went to
Christian areas while Muslims went to Muslim areas.

One other problem faces vocational schools: Where to send
students for on-the-job training? "This problem gives us a lot of
headaches," said Theo Latumahina, who is described by education
officials in Ambon as a highly creative principal who was able to
keep classes going at the state-run SMK 3 vocational school.

Fishing companies, contractors and mechanical workshops now
find themselves in areas that have become strictly Christian or
Muslim, and business is just starting to take off again.

Latumahina is proud that some of his students have joined a
30-member group of Christian and Muslim students who are
receiving training in construction skills in West Java.

The school, which was originally located in the Weiheru
district outside Ambon city, has now divided its classes between
three locations for the sake of teacher and student safety --
Weiheru itself, the nearby Lateri district and Halong. The latter
is where Christian and Muslim students can study together; it is
a navy complex where the refugee camp houses both Christians and
Muslims.

The teachers make use of whatever material they have; the
motorcycle engines for practicing on were all stolen. Some
teachers still live in shelters with dozens of other refugees as
their homes were among the thousands razed to the ground.

The dedicated teachers have tried their best to overcome their
own trauma. Complaints are rare; the situation in Maluku now is
much better compared to the days when their salaries were paid on
the sidewalk. "We tried to work whenever and however we could,"
says Latumahina. "We even signed report cards on the side of the
road."

Normal classes would be unable to resume, he said, until the
surrounding communities were ready. In the early days after the
conflict broke out in 1999, he recalled, "there were students who
almost stabbed each other."

"We need trauma counseling," Latumahina said, and not only the
services such as those provided by small, hard-working non-
governmental organizations, such as the Caring Women's Movement
(Gerakan Perempuan Peduli) in Ambon. Citing what he had seen
overseas, he said that counselors must be based in the schools
even during normal, peaceful times so as to ensure easy access
for students.

On the surface, the trauma is unseen as spirited students
express their hopes of being able to relieve the burden on their
parents and to work on big ships, or study about the biodiversity
of their seas.

Yet, the urgent need for trauma counseling is clearly beyond
the capacity of even the most creative school managers to
provide.