Zaenal's dream to be in the Army

Zaenal's dream to be in the Army

His radiant eyes blinked with doubt. His mouth trembled, but
no words were uttered.

There was a long silence. The 12-year-old boy cast his eyes
toward the sea and the palm and mangrove trees in the distance.
Still in doubt he mumbled: "I would like to be in the Army one
day."

His name is Zaenal. He is a sixth grader at the Kenyamukan
Primary School in Kenyamukan hamlet, Teluk Lingga village,
Sanggata subdistrict, Kutai Timur regency. Just like other boys
his age in this hinterland, Zaenal does not automatically warm up
to strangers passing through the area.

However, his expression does not reveal any fear of the
stranger standing in front of him. Zainuddin, the hamlet chief,
commented: "It's hard to get the children here to communicate
with strangers."

Although it is located in Sanggata subdistrict -- the capital
of Kutai Timur -- Kenyamukan hamlet is a remote place. The 11-
kilometer-long road connecting the hamlet to Sanggata is rutted
and damaged -- tough terrain even for a four-wheel drive vehicle
-- making the hamlet isolated.

Electricity is available not from state-owned electricity
company PLN, but from a diesel generator owned by Miming, a
former neighborhood unit chief. The generator is operated from
about six in the evening until midnight. The generator is able to
provide enough power to light the houses in the hamlet.

Dano Mapi, the community development supervisor for PT Kaltim
Prima Coal (KPC), who is familiar with the area, said traveling
to Kenyamukan hamlet before the year 2000 was a strenuous
adventure. Even the wet, muddy road filled with potholes all
along the brackish marshes did not exist before then. To reach
Teluk Lingga there were only a few choices: go by foot, by
traditional boat from the old Sanggata market or aboard a KPC
speedboat from the company's coal terminal in Tanjung Bara.

Traveling by traditional boat or by a KPC speedboat was not
possible at all times. "When the sea is rough, nobody dares to
venture out into the angry waves for a trip to Kenyamukan," Dano
said.

Traveling Teacher

Located in the estuary of the Kenyamukan River, the hamlet is
part of Teluk Lingga village. There are 21 families in the
hamlet, who make their living fishing. The hamlet, with a
population of some 150 people, was established in 1991 by eight
families who had previously lived in Teluk Lombok.

Zainuddin, one of the founders of the hamlet, said the move
was principally due to geographical reasons. "In comparison to
Teluk Lombok, here we are relatively more protected from the
rough seas and wind," said the 40-year-old man.

The palm and mangrove trees that line the coast close to the
estuary act as a natural fortress in absorbing the rough seas and
winds during high tide. They also protect the boats containing
fishing equipment that are anchored far inside the Kenyamukan
River estuary.

On the scenic grass-covered land and white sandy beaches,
sandwiched between the river and the sea, these migrants from
Teluk Lombok have built their wooden houses. For adventure lovers
the exotic beauty of Kenyamukan hamlet is a magnet in itself.

For all the beauty of the area and its other advantages, the
people of the hamlet still had one simple wish: to have their
children receive a formal education. This dream proved difficult
to fulfill, however, because of the hamlet's isolation.

But the dream was realized six years after the establishment
of the hamlet -- in 1997 -- when a traveling teacher began to
visit the hamlet regularly to teach several children in a room
that became known as the "the school". The school -- three-by-
three meters-- was nothing more than a room with a dirt floor
belonging to a resident. It is also the room where hamlet
residents gather to watch TV.

Some 15 meters from a small mosque, the room does not offer
much in the way of comfort for the students. Its tin roof often
leaks during the rainy season. The pupils have to endure the
rough weather during their lessons. With no windows and only two
openings for going in and out, the room truly tests the
dedication of the teacher and his pupils.

No one complains though. Everyone is full of gratitude simply
for the opportunity. "I would like my children to become
educated," said Musa, another founder of the hamlet. "We are glad
that our children are now able to read and count. I hope they can
live better when they grow up," another resident, Rinto, said.

The modest school, consisting of three grades, only had
several pupils when it was established. With all four of his
children attending the Kenyamukan primary school, Zainuddin
recalled those days when every morning the children rushed to the
school and patiently waited for the teacher. On rainy days when
the teacher did not appear, the pupils diligently carried on with
their studies as usual.

A building and a teacher's house

Two years after the establishment of "the makeshift school
located where a TV is provided for the public to watch", Dano
Mapi of PT KPC and Ishak of the subdistrict national education
office began to think of providing a proper school with decent
classrooms. With the help of PT KPC, a building with two
classrooms and a teacher's house were built in Kenyamukan hamlet.

"The building materials were taken to Sangatta by a chartered
kelotok boat. After they were unloaded, some locals where hired
to carry them to the site where the school was going to be
built," Dano said.

The school building was planned for a nonresidential area
about a 30-minute walk from the hamlet. Two buildings -- one for
a school with two classrooms able to accommodate 40 pupils each
plus teaching and learning facilities, and the other to be used
as a teacher's house -- have now been built on an area of clayish
land.

PT KPC has also provided two teachers as well as books and
other facilities for the learning and teaching process. The books
and other items have been collected from teachers, parents and
students from the Prima Swarga Bara Educational Foundation, and
also from employees of PT KPC and members of Periska, the
Association of Wives of Employees of PT KPC.

As Noke Kiroyan, president director of PT KPC put it, PT KPC
helped establish the Kenyamukan elementary school and provided
assistance for the learning and teaching process there not merely
as part of its community development program, but also because
the company sincerely hopes that the younger generation can lead
a better life through education.

The two semipermanent classrooms that PT KPC has established in
Kenyamukan hamlet are now used for six classes that are taught
simultaneously. Pupils in the first to third grades study in one
class while those from the fourth to the sixth grades study in
the other.

"Putting pupils of different grades in one room poses a
challenge in terms of time and the quality of teaching. In this
case, a teacher will need more time to make his pupils really
understand what he has taught them," said Mahdin, the school's
principal.

The school now has four permanent teachers. One of them, Weli,
has been assigned to the school since May 1999. He grew up in
Teluk Lingga and completed his vocational school in Bontang.

The school has a total of 27 pupils: four in grade 1; three in
grade 2; nine in grade 3; six in grade 4; and two in grade 6.
Generally the students come from Kenyamukan hamlet, although some
come from the areas of Sungai Bendera and Rawa Gabus.

The pupils from Sungai Bendera and the low-lying area of Rawa
Gabus have to make a more arduous journey to get to the school
than those students coming from Kenyamukan hamlet. While it only
takes Zaenal 30 minutes to walk home from school, Maskur, Nurdin,
Leny and Nuripa, all from Sungai Bendera, take a much longer
time. They have to wade through a muddy road and cross a brackish
swamp, covering a distance of over five kilometers.

For them, however, this challenge can be turned into a sport
of sorts. "It is a matter of habit. The children from Rawa Gabus
are good runners. They can run under the scorching sun or brave
the heavy rain. On the other hand, the children from Kenyamukan
are very good swimmers," said Weli, adding that the children
usually started to school at about 5:30 in the morning. Some
children even leave home much earlier, said Weli, adding that
the pupils usually arrive at school early and have to wait for
the teachers.

Thanks to the seriousness with which they take their studies,
the children of Kenyamukan elementary school have made good
achievements and are the pride of their parents. The children,
for example, scored well on the examinations given by the
Sangatta subdistrict national education office. "Some even got
10s," said Mahdin with pride.

But the children still have a long way to go in their
educations. They will have to study hard to realize the hopes of
their parents in Kenyamukan hamlet and its surroundings.
Nonetheless, this school deserves a thumbs-up, although only one
pupil so far has completed his elementary school studies there
(he is now studying at a junior high school in Bontang.)

These days, Zaenal and his classmates -- they will complete
elementary school next year -- are expected to maintain their
enthusiasm to learn at a higher level. Mahdin said, "In this way,
they will show the other children how valuable education is."

The children of Kenyamukan elementary school know what it is
to chase after dreams and see them come true. At night, under the
glow of a lamp, these children are absorbed in their studies and
are nurturing their aspirations.