School gives students a second chance

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Kaimin, standing in front of his peers from the Tunas Mulia School of Nature in Bekasi, played Indonesia's national anthem flawlessly on a musical instrument made from bamboo known as the angklung.

Along with 30 of his classmates, he also presented a traditional song called Gundul-Gundul Pacul.

The performances were part of a program organized by telecommunications company PT NEC Indonesia, which was also attended by residents from nearby Bantar Gebang last Thursday.

Some 70 students who were all once school dropouts took part in the presentation.

The company also donated five sewing machines to the children, which could be used to turn plastic waste into useful items such as bags and hats.

"They can sell the products and earn some money," general manager of the company Bambang Tri Puspito said.

He said the children had been taught how to convert fruit and vegetable waste into fertilizer a week earlier.

"This knowledge is useful as it will reduce the volume of garbage in the area," he said.

Tunas Mulia was established to offer free education to children working as scavengers in the area.

Students at the school learn not only subjects such as Indonesian and mathematics, but also basic skills such as how to make handicrafts and breed cattle.

Nadham Dwi Subekti came up with the initial idea to establish the school and opened it after receiving a donation from private charity PortalInfaq last year.

In its first year, the school had only one classroom and a small library. Now the school has an extra classroom and a sewing practice room.

"The foundation employs several teachers, while an NGO called the 1001 Buku Community provides the school with books," Nadham said.

More than 70 children attend the school at various times from morning to evening three days per week.

Playgroup and elementary students study every Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Junior high school students study from 3 to 5 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Ivony, a teacher at the school, said most students were still reluctant to study and would prefer to be playing with their friends outside.

However, she said the students rarely complained about study tasks given to them by their teachers.

"This is different to students at my past school who tended to disobey my orders," she said.

Cayem, one Ivony's students, said she felt lucky to be a student at the school because she could continue her studies after being forced to drop out from elementary school.

"My parents did not have enough money to pay for my school fees at a formal school," the 13-year-old said.

She said studying at the school also enabled her to make more friends and learn more about her favorite subject -- breeding cattle.

She was optimistic she would be able to continue her studies in the future.

"I want to be a doctor someday," she said. (ewd)