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.