Groups give kids free education

Anisa Basuki ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 10/08/2008 10:26 AM  |  City

GETTING IT RIGHT: An underprivileged child studies with help from a volunteer teacher from the Sahabat Anak (Friends of children) group. The children enjoy free lessons under Grogol’s elevated highway in West Jakarta. (JP/Anisa Basuki)

In a move to give something back to the community, several local groups are providing free schooling for impoverished children.

The founders and teachers of these schools come from various circles, but most are university students and lecturers.

One of the schools is located on Jl. Margasatwa in South Jakarta.

To begin with, women in that neighborhood established a Koran recital group to teach women from low-income families about the holy book.

They soon discovered that children from the same families were also in need of tuition. Funded by donors, the group then established an informal school last year with volunteering university students and lecturers working as teachers.

The pupils are divided into two groups. A "yellow" group comprises children aged three to six years old, while a "green" group is for children from six to nine years old.

Some of the children are already attending school elsewhere, but say they have difficulty with the subjects.

"One of our pupils is eight, but is still confused when she has to deal with maths. She can read, but only simple reading material," said Evi Siregar who holds a masters degree in Education and is a teacher and co-founder of the free school.

"I hope by joining this school she will understand her lessons at elementary school better," Evi added.

Non-profit Yayasan Balita Sehat (Foundation for Children Under Five) also established a free pre-school for children aged between three and six years in Cipete, also in South Jakarta.

What started as a counseling service for children's nutrition, evolved several years ago. The foundation now provides free education for both mothers and children. It provides training on hygiene, health and nutrition for mothers and handicraft classes for children.

This school now has around 50 students and only hires certified teachers.

The foundation interviews families who want to enroll their children at the school.

"We want the school to be attended by people who really need the education but have financial constraints," said co-founder Ira Lembong.

Another school in West Jakarta is situated under the Grogol elevated highway. A group of volunteers calling themselves Sahabat Anak (Friends of Children) helps street children to study there every Sunday afternoon.

The school is an extension of Jambore Anak Jalanan (Street children's jamboree), and has been running since 1997. During the jamboree, some volunteers noticed that the children were in need of a proper education.

Most of the teachers are university students who set aside part of their pocket money to support the school.

Again, students are divided into groups based on their age. The number of students is increasing each year, and today there are around 90 students in total.

The Sahabat Anak teachers adjust lessons according to the students' needs, and make reports each month and every six months on students' progress.

"We have to register and screen students. We also have to deal with their parents ... Most of them think studying is a waste of time and that the children should work as street singers or beggars," said Friska, one of the teachers.

"Our mission is to reduce the number of street children, while finding scholarships for them so we can return them into the formal education system."

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.