Two teachers (left) of SMK Widya Mukti vocational high school in Cigalontang district, Tasikmalaya regency, West Java, visit the home of a school dropout in Ciorek kampong, Cilawu district, Garut regency, Monday (17/7), to convince her to come back to school. SMK Widya Mukti has become a refuge for students from poor families around Tasikmalaya and Garut, offering them scholarships so they can complete their education.
Crash! The old motorcycle ridden by Ginanjar MS, 25, fell into a ditch on Monday (17/7) at around 6:30 p.m. The engine stopped running. The worn tires could not grip the slippery road after a light rain. The road climbing through the forest around Ciorek neighborhood, Cilawu district, Garut regency, was hard to pass.
“I forgot the climbing road was long and around 45 degrees,” Ginanjar said. Sweat dotted his brown safari jacket.
It was natural for him to be caught off guard. The night was still young, but it was as if there was no life in the area. It was silent. The closest light was about 500 meters away. The forest was dark.
Ginanjar is not a local resident. He is a teacher at the SMK Widya Mukti vocational high school in Cigalontang, Tasikmalaya regency, about 2 kilometers from Ciorek. Steep hills separated them. Around 145 students were enrolled at the school of public administration. More than 80 percent of them came from poor families.
At the time of the accident, Ginanjar and Dadan Erawan, 36, another SMK Widya Mukti teacher, were on their way home from Ciorek. Since school had finished in the afternoon, the two had driven around the Tasikmalaya-Garut area, some 80 kilometers from Bandung.
They went through the forest, climbed the hills and down into the valley. They invited youths from poor families who had dropped out to come back to school. Aside from these two teachers, six other teachers were doing the same thing.
“It has been four years. We do this every new school year. Falling from my motorcycle was a bonus. We met with worse conditions, such as being told to get out of a kampong or being threatened with a sword,” said Ginanjar, after pushing his motorcycle to a flat spot in the road.
Their efforts in Ciorek were not in vain. Four teenagers aged 15-16 years old were willing to come back to school. The promise that they would not have to pay the tuition has calmed down the potential students and their parents. Making a living as a farmer or a building laborer, it was difficult for them to meet the costs of schooling. With an average earning of Rp 500,000 per month, it was hard for them to put three meals on the table.
“The school fee is still our biggest concern. In fact, many dropouts have great talents ready to be developed,” said Dadan.
Big talent
In a corner of Ciorek, in a 20-square-meter stilt house, Dadan and Ginanjar were shown proof of such talent. Dozens of sheets of paper covered with designs for Muslim clothing and bride-and-groom costumes hung from the walls.
However, the colorful lines of the drawings were not as bright as the feelings of Anih, 48, and her daughter Aisah, 15. Aisah had just graduated from junior high school this year, but she could not continue her studies because of a lack of money. Her dream of becoming a designer had faded.
“Deep in your heart, do you want to continue your education?” Ginanjar asked Aisah.
“I do,” Aisah said. Her tears started flowing.
“But teuaya biaya, kumaha atuh [There is no school fee, how can that be,] Sir?” asked Anih.
Ginanjar said Anih should not worry. Aisah could get a scholarship from the school. Aisah would not have to pay the tuition for her three years at school.
Anih stared in surprise. She did not believe there was a school that offered education for free.
“Jiga heureuynya. Simkuring [It seems like a joke, that I promise] Aisah will be the school’s responsibility, right?” he added lightly.
Anih nodded slowly and Aisah cried. This time, they were happy tears.
Last home
Established in 2011, SMK Widya Mukti has often been the last home for poor students who want to continue their study. The number of dropout students who were returning to school increased. In 2013, there were only 13 students. Three years later, the number had increased to 37 students. This year, in the last three weeks alone, 17 students had returned to school. More students would be brought back to school this year.
The teachers did not only save the futures of the children, but also the face of West Java province. Data at the West Java Development Analysis Center shows dropouts in West Java numbered 20,628 students in 2013. Of that number, 1,189 were from Garut and 692 from Tasikmalaya.
“Poverty was the major cause of dropouts. School had not been seen as an investment for the future,” Gianjar said.
Ahmad Nurjaman, 19, who graduated SMK Widya Muktit his year, knows the feeling. His will to continue his studies dimmed when his parents wanted him to stop school after finishing junior high. The combined monthly incomes of his father, who sold ice around the neighborhood, and his mother, who worked as a laborer in a home industry, was too small at Rp 600,000-Rp 800,000, if it was also spent on school tuition.
Yet, Ahmad did not give up. The offer from SMK Widya Mukti fueled him to continue his education. After his parents became convinced about the free tuition, Ahmad was allowed to continue his education.
“Although the costs are light, the education isn’t. SMK Widya Mukti was the pioneer of computer-based exams in Tasikmalaya,” said the top graduate of SMA Widya Muktiin 2017, who is now enrolled at a state university in Bandung.
Ahmad told his story to Kiki and Sulastri, both 17. The two Ciorek teenagers have not attended school in the past year. Kiki sold meatballs and Sulastri helped her parents at home.
Ahmad’s approach worked. It took only a few minutes for them to fill out the enrollment form. They promised to attend class the next day. Dadan said the alumnus’s success story brought positive results, persuading the teenagers to continue school.
“Through direct approaches and the alumni’s stories, we believe we can help open more doors to prosperity through education. Hopefully, everything will run smoothly for a brighter future,” Dadan said.
In the remote and hilly area of Tasikmalaya-Garut, this hope is kept alive by SMK Widya Mukti and its teachers. A better fate and future are in the hands of those who are willing to fight for them.
