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 togetherr; 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.
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