Sharing the Knowledge Hook

KOMPAS/MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA

Millah Kamilah

Millah Kamilah M, 39, did not want to remain silent when she found out that many children were dropping out of school in her area in Jatiendah, Bandung, West Java. She even sold her car and used the garage in her home to open a school for those who had been left behind.

The hot sun on Thursday (8/10/2020) afternoon accompanied Millah\'s steps down the small stairs in one corner of the Jatiendah area. She had not finished her last step when a shout could be heard from Sukma, 8, one of Millah\'s students.

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"Mom, there is a teacher coming!" she cried out.

From inside the room, Wiwi, 42, Sukma\'s mother, appeared while carrying her youngest child.

"Oh, Ibu Millah. Come in first, ma’am. Sorry, I can only sit on this mat,” she said.

Amid all the complexities, Wiwi lives with her husband and 10 children. At night, the two rooms beds the whole family.

"Well, [we] sleep anywhere there is space. At this rate, I don\'t think about school for our children anymore. It\'s too expensive. Moreover, my husband is only a farm worker. Just to be able to eat, [we] are grateful," said Wiwi while calming her crying youngest.

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The highest form of education for all their children is junior high school.

Millah said she came to help Wiwi find donors to improve this situation. Living in a cramped house is definitely not ideal.

Wiwi was clearly happy with the news. For the umpteenth time, Millah wanted to help her. Previously, Millah received Sukma at her school, the Tahfidzpreneur Rumah Kasih Mandiri School (RKM Tahfidzpreneur).

"I tried to give them the hooks of knowledge so they could find their own fish. If [I] give [them] fish, they will only be beggars,” Millah said.

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KOMPAS/MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA

Millah Kamilah

Start sharing

It all started when Millah decided to become an entrepreneur in the culinary sector in 2016. She stopped teaching at a kindergarten (TK) in Bandung although she was the principal of the school. Not just any headmaster but the Best School Principal in Bandung City of 2013.

“Around 2014, I opened Millah Cake House while sharing the recipes on social media. In the end, I chose to leave [school] because I wanted to work alone rather than work for someone else," she said.

After officially leaving the school where she was teaching, Millah then devised a strategy to build her new business. She started by going around inviting the mothers around her neighborhood to build businesses together, not just sharing recipes on social media.

However, the reality was not as she wanted. The teacher\'s soul in her was moved when she saw many children playing during school hours.

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"I moved to this place in 2009. However, it was only in 2014 that I realized that behind the house, many children did not go to school. Their parents said there was no money. I then wanted to open another school," she said.

She then expressed her wish to her husband, Prihantono, 44, an architectural consultant in Bandung. Not only asking for permission, she also hoped there would be capital to build the school.

"My husband then sold his car," she said.

Millah then went back to being a teacher. In the middle of 2016, Millah built the RKM Tahfidzpreneur in a modified garage. A studying table is provided by neighbors who wanted to help.

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Initially, Millah founded a school at the kindergarten level to foster children\'s interest in learning. After many parents were interested in taking part in learning, she opened a playground and daycare center. It was only in 2019 that Millah also opened an elementary school (SD) so that children could continue their education.

KOMPAS/MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA

Millah Kamilah

When she started opening the school, Millah only had 10 children. Even though it was free, not all parents wanted their children to go to school. It was not easy to change the mindset of parents at that time because there were still thoughts that education would be useless.

"Some only know the school is for the rich. Especially for girls, she only works in the kitchen and on the bed,” she said.

However, Millah did not want to give up. A personal approach was also taken to persuade parents to allow their children to return to school.

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"I went to the homes of the prospective students\' parents one by one. I assure them, the school in my place is free for those who cannot afford it, ”said Millah.

Not only persuading parents, Millah also inevitably shared her income for the school operational costs, starting from paying 15 teachers and paying for the rent for two buildings that are used as schools.

In her daily life, Millah works as an assessor of the National Accreditation Board for Early Childhood Education (BAN-PAUD) and a coordinator of West Java Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Champion Assistance at the West Java Cooperatives and Small Business Office.

Teachers must be paid according to standards.

Besides that, all the profits from her culinary business are used as capital for school operational costs, in addition to contributions from some parents and non-permanent donors.

"Teachers must be paid according to standards. For elementary school, [the expenditure for salaries] is equivalent to Rp 25 million (US$1,702) a month in total. [The cost for] the orphanage for foster children is Rp 20 million a year. This year, the rent is over. I am also confused because income has decreased during a pandemic like this," she said.

The orphanage is filled with 15 people who need a place to live during their education program. Not only getting shelter, residents of the orphanage also get food at a cost borne by Millah.

KOMPAS/MACHRADIN WAHYUDI RITONGA

Millah Kamilah

Never give up

However, these difficulties did not prevent Millah from continuing to give schooling for the children. By setting aside some money and relying on donations, she still fulfills their rights to study.

"I understand because now everything is so difficult. Many parents of children who work as factory employees were sent home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, like it or not, I waived the school fees because [the students’ families] also need to eat," she said.

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When the pandemic hit, Millah\'s operational burden also increased. Not only relying on online meetings, teachers also had to be willing to visit children who cannot afford online learning.

The struggle finally bore fruit. Every year, there are always children who come and learn with Millah. Currently, Tahfidzpreneur has 85 kindergarten and elementary students. As many as 75 percent of are Millah\'s foster children who attend the school free of charge.

I have a dream to build an integrated school, from elementary to tertiary education, so that my foster children can get a high level of education.

In addition, Millah also invited more than 100 poor children and orphans around the area who did not receive education to take part in the free Package C program. The condition is that the person is registered as poor but intends to study.

"I have a dream to build an integrated school, from elementary to tertiary education, so that my foster children can get a high level of education. They understand the importance of education, not only to find work but also to prevent ignorance,” she said.

This spirit began to spread to the parents of the students. Wiwi does not hesitate to send her children to school anymore because the help from Millah feels real.

"Later, Sukma\'s younger brother, Raka, also plans to go to school at Ibu Millah\'s place. If you can, [teach them until they] get a high [education], okay, ma\'am? " said Wiwi, who smiled back at Millah.

That smile was the answer to Millah\'s struggle to invite parents and underprivileged children around her to continue studying at school. Millah realized that this knowledge would become a "hook" for them in the future, to lift their families from poverty.

Millah Kamilah Muslimat

Place and DOB: Bandung, Aug. 4, 1981

Highest education: Master’s degree in management, Bina Sarana Informatika University (graduated 2019)

Profession:

- Coordinator of West Java Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Champion Assistance at the West Java Cooperatives and Small Business Office

- Assessor of the National Accreditation Board for Early Childhood Education (BAN-PAUD)