School books highlight coral reef preservation

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 08/06/2007 12:42 PM  |  National

Wasti Atmodjo, Contributor, Sanur

The new academic year has just begun and students around the country are back at school, eagerly learning their lessons.

But elementary students in Bantul, Yogyakarta, and Nusa Penida, an impoverished islet in South Bali, have been given something very special.

For this new academic year, the Reef Check Indonesia Foundation have distributed 10,000 free school textbooks with colorful covers and information on coral reefs and other marine life.

The books are beautifully decorated with illustrated pictures of amazing underwater scenery.

The books contain simple information on the importance of coral reefs and include an explanation on the causes of tsunamis and other marine-based disasters.

The Reef Check Foundation had initially planned to issue a special comic book on coral reefs and their role in preventing natural disasters. A high production cost and technical difficulties, however, meant the foundation had to find another way to disseminate the information.

""By producing school textbooks we were able to reduce the costs. Also, the information can be disseminated more effectively in a school textbook form,"" said Pariama Hutasoit, the foundation's media coordinator.

The book was produced to increase children's awareness on the benefits of preserving marine life in order to maintain ecological balance.

The cost of production was covered by the sales of winning drawings from a recent contest to commemorate Earth Day. The drawings were displayed at an exhibition and auctioned to raise funds.

""Some of the drawings were sold at between Rp 750,000 and Rp 2.5 million,"" Hutasoit said. Additional funding came from donations and environmental awareness campaigns and activities.

""We initially thought we would distribute the funds directly to victims of the Yogyakarta earthquake. But we decided to produce this book instead, which has been a very worthwhile project,"" she said.

The foundation plans to produce similar books and distribute them to other elementary schools in Aceh and other tsunami-prone coastal areas around the country.

""We also plan to produce an English version, but first we have to raise more funds and invite other concerned parties to take part in this educational program.

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