By: Rev.
Eirene Grace Nanuru
Since
Covid-19 hit parts of the world, including Indonesia, the eastern part of
Indonesia has not been spared, including Raja Ampat Regency in West Papua. The
geographical condition of Raja Ampat regency, which is mostly ocean and
transportation is merely by the sea, greatly affects one's work activities,
including teachers. During the Covid-19 pandemic, education in Raja Ampat is
getting more worrying because the children cannot study properly, and sometimes
teachers are not always available.
It is serious homework for the local government to organize the education system with limited teachers, geographical conditions, unequal internet network coverage for 117 villages in Raja Ampat regency, while, nobody knows when the pandemic will end. Are there any learning methods for children on the islands so that they can still learn even though they are not formally at the school? There must be a way to keep children motivated to learn, read, and count. Together with several students, the Multiplicator of Stube HEMAT in Raja Ampat tried a method “children of islands tell stories” in several villages.
In
Waipele village in North Salawati district (12/03/2021). The local people were
very enthusiastic about the activity, even parents with children were involved
and accompanied their children, especially those who could not hold writing
tools and coloring pictures and while coloring they tell the colored pictures.
Mince Inseruy and Lenny Rumayom, the education students who were involved in
the activity, felt happy to accompany the children of the Waipele village
community. Children aged 2-4 grade of elementary school learned how to count
and recognize letters, pronounced the alphabet in English, introduced
themselves in English. This group was accompanied by Pdt. Grace Nanuru, the
Multiplicator of Stube HEMAT in Raja Ampat. Meanwhile, the children in grades 5
and 6 of elementary school were given children's storybooks and allocated time
to read. Then they retold the story accompanied by a Sunday School teacher. It
turned out that the children were enthusiastic and confident in retelling what
they had read.
The next trip is from Sorong to Weiman-Batanta (17/03/2021). Before going to Weiman, the group transited on Yenanas Island to pick up students. The journey took approximately 2 hours. Unexpectedly, there were 20 children from Yenanas who joined the journey to Weiman. The activities carried out are similar to activities in Waipele, but the activities at Weiman were held in 2 days, because there were additional activities such as story games (playing while telling stories), praying together, and exposure to waterfalls.
The
activities are beneficial not only for children but also for the students,
being trained to be sensitive to social problems that exist in the world of
education. Hopefully, the activities will support the quality improvement of
human resources in the Raja Ampat regency. Jo Suba! ***
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