[Nasional-e] Vocational schools give hope to Maluku's young
Holy Uncle
nasional-e@polarhome.com
Sat Feb 22 23:31:02 2003
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailfeatures.asp?fileid=20030221.R03&irec=2
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.
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