The Vice President's Staff Holds A Coordination Meeting On Education In Papua, The Availability Of Teachers In In-depth Is A Priority

JAKARTA - Vice Presidential Special Staff Masykuri Abdillah held a coordination meeting with ministries and institutions to discuss various aspirations and proposals related to increasing access to education in the Land of Papua.

In the coordination meeting at the Vice Presidential Secretariat Office, Masykuri said that church activists in Papua have long contributed to providing access to education for the Papuan people to remote areas.

"Church leaders have contributed a lot to opening access to education for the Papuan people, even to remote areas. They are the ones who provide space for indigenous Papuans to enjoy education for the sake of Papuan welfare development," Masykuri said in a press release reported by ANTARA, Monday, August 7.

However, overall, Papua is still facing the problem of low availability of basic education teachers and the absence of teachers in remote areas. This has an impact on the low number of the Human Development Index (HDI) of Papua and West Papua Provinces from year to year.

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin on April 17, 2023, directed the Minister of Religion and Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology to provide access to the provision of teachers through the Theology College (STT).

During his working visit to Manokwari on July 15, 2023, the Vice President also said in front of Church leaders throughout the Land of Papua that the government would provide access for STT to prepare teachers in Papua.

As a follow-up to the Vice President's directive, a coordination meeting was held.

According to Masykuri, according to the de facto, education activists from the church and STT have actually carried out teaching activities voluntarily in the interior of Papua in the midst of many ASN teachers leaving their assignments.

According to him, what is needed now is the granting of status and rights to teachers through the opening of the Elementary School Teacher Education Study Program (PGSD)/ PAUD Teacher Program at STT.

"This is in line with the aspirations of the Papuan Church institution," said Masykuri.

Meanwhile in the coordination meeting, Pst. Konstantinus Bahang as a representative from the Papua Christian Center (PCC) who is also part of the Association of Churches in Papua and West Papua expressed the aspirations of church leaders so that STT could open the Education Study Program for Early Childhood Education Teachers (PGPAUD Program) and Elementary School Teacher Education (PGSD Program).

"We church leaders ask the government that we be given the opportunity to open the PG PAUD and PGSD Prodi Programs. The goal is that Church-run educational institutions can produce militant and resilient teachers who are willing to teach in the interior of Papua," said Konstantinus.

This aspiration was strengthened by a member of the Steering Committee for the Acceleration of Special Autonomy Development Papua (BP3OKP) from Southwest Papua Province, Otto Ihalauw, who stated that Papua must be treated specifically, not with general regulations so that barriers to the opening of the PG PAUD Program and PGSD Study Program can be carried out quickly.

"To solve education problems in Papua, sectoral egos must be put aside and it is necessary to pay attention to the emergency aspects in the Papua region so that what is produced is affirmative policies," said Otto.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Legal Bureau of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Ineke Indraswati, emphasized that the government is serious about meeting the needs of teachers in Papua.

According to him, the hopes of church leaders for the STT to open the PG PAUD Program and PGSD Prodi can be fulfilled through the STT cooperation scheme with the Educators and Education Personnel Institute (LPTK), such as Cenderawasih University.

"STT di Papua dapat membuka Prodi PG PAUD dan Prodi PGSD melalui skema kerja sama dengan perguruan tinggi yang ditunjuk oleh Kemendikbudristek, kami akan mendampingi dan percepatan agar bisa berjalan segera," ujar Ineke.

The designer of the Intermediate Law of the Legal Bureau of the Ministry of Religion, Imam Syaukani, emphasized that the existence of the STT when collaborating with Cenderawasih University remains, so that the STT is not just an implementer of the LPTK study program, but as the organizer of the PG PAUD and PGSD Study Program.

Responding to various aspirations and proposals in the coordination meeting, Vice President Masykuri's Staff underlined that the central government will continue to strive to encourage the opening of the PG PAUD and PGSD Prodi Programs in STT while still prioritizing affirmative policy aspects.

STT is also expected to immediately process the opening permit of the PG PAUD and PGSD Prodi Program to the Ministry of Education and Culture.