Disdikbud Opens Senior High School Class On The Outer Island Of West Sulawesi

Photo Illustration: Antara

JAKARTA - The Department of Education and Culture (Disdikbud) of West Sulawesi Province (Sulbar) will open a long class at the high school level on the outermost islands in the area, namely the Bala-balakkang Islands, Mamuju Regency.

Head of West Sulawesi Education and Culture, Mithhar, in Mamuju, Sunday, said the plan to open the long class was carried out after his party heard and held a meeting with several teachers from the Bala-balakkang Islands.

"There were several teachers who came to me, including SMPN 1 Bala-balakkang teacher and the Head of SDN Inpres Pulau Ambo, who said that people in the Bala-balakkang Islands really need high school levels," said Mithhar, ANTARA, Sunday, December 24.

According to him, high school-level schools are really needed by people in the Bala-balakkang Islands because until now there are no high school-level schools in the islands that are directly adjacent to the island of Kalimantan.

"Therefore, children who want to continue their high school level must leave the island," he said.

He said that only about 10-25 children in the Bala-balakkang Islands when they graduated from junior high school continued to high school.

"This is certainly very concerning considering that our Minimum Service Standards should not be allowed for children aged 6-18 years who are not served in education," said Mithhar.

Responding to this, the West Sulawesi Provincial Education and Culture Office will open a class far from one of the high schools in Mamuju Regency in the coming school year.

"The plan is a class far from SMA Negeri 3 Mamuju. We will receive new students in the long class starting in 2024," he said.

In the SMA Negeri 3 Mamuju long class program, he said, he would accept students who graduated from junior high school equivalent in 2024, 2023, and 2022.

"Even if possible, we will open a class of package C for people who are no longer able to enter formal education. The point is we will not let the nation's children on the island continue their studies," said Mithhar.

Regarding the place for organizing the long class, Mithhar said that he would coordinate with the Mamuju Regency Education Office so that they could use the school classrooms in the Bala-balakkang Islands.

"Of course this is part of an effort to deal with children dropping out of school. We don't want any children in West Sulawesi who don't go to school for various reasons," he said.

The Bala-balakkang Islands is one of the areas in Mamuju Regency which is about 110 miles from Mamuju City and can only be reached by ship for 12 hours.