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.