Inside Indonesia

This is a journal during our social program that we call KKN-PBA (Kuliah Kerja Nyata Pemberantasan Buta Aksara). This program is an obligation for every student who take bachelor degree program in Indonesian universities as a requirement to graduate from the university. This program was aimed to promote relevance of study in society’s real condition. Take it into action!! Now! That was the spirit we carried out during these 45 days.

Problem solving! It was the mission on this program. Students as the agent of change in the society and nation’s development were expected to promote the social transformation that could change the society’s conventional and traditional perception into modern way of thought. Besides, development inequality still becomes the main problem of Indonesian government. That’s why we here, spending our time to stay in a remote area (small village that have limited access to government’s facilities or other supporting facilities).

Education was the focus of the program in this year. As a matter of fact, the society’s concern on education was very low. The number of illiteracy and uneducated people still high in several remote areas.
During these 45 days I stayed at Karang Tawang village, on Nusawungu District in Cilacap Regency. I stayed with other 7 students from various course and faculty in our university (Universitas Jenderal Soedirman check out the webs: www.unsoed.ac.id ). Our mission was reducing the number of illiteracy and uneducated people in this village through free education. Therefore we conducted classes both formal (sit-in class) and private (one by one, tutors/teachers directly went to student’s house).

In fact, the society’s concern on education was the main obstacle; education was not the priority for the villagers especially for woman. That’s why the number of uneducated woman was high and most of our students are woman (80% - 90%). Most of them were dropped out from elementary school in their first, second or third grade. They prefer to do their routines as farmers rather than to go to school coz their parents or husbands oblige them to do so.

Our team was separated into 4 groups, each groups consist of 2 person. Each team had to handle minimal 20 students. I and my partner handle 22 person, all of them are farmers. We conducted class adjusted with their activities; we had the class from 1 – 3 pm every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. All of them were very excited joining our program. Free class, free facilities (books, pencils, eraser, and other materials, free certificate (for those who passed the evaluation), free teacher/tutor, it’s all free! For your information, most of the villagers were poor and can’t afford the (formal) education fee. This problem remains exist till this day, less than 50 % of elementary students continue their study to higher education.
Basically this program was an effective solution to promote education in remote area for productive ages (10 – 45 years old), but it’s better for government to give free education especially for elementary and junior high school for the poor. It’s better to prevent rather than to cure the problem.