|
|
|
Vocational
schools give hope to Maluku's young
|
The
Jakarta Post
February
21, 2003
|
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.
|
