goodmorningpapua.com – In order to improve human resources in villages, especially early childhood, the Ministry of Education and Culture held a seminar for village heads entitled “Towards Quality Village Education Through Quality PAUD Implementation in the Village”, online, recently.
On this occasion, three village heads from various regions were present who discussed cooperation efforts between village units and the education office, as well as presenting youth leaders in Eastern Indonesia who played an active role in realizing quality PAUD.
This seminar presented real examples of village success stories that succeeded in encouraging the establishment of an PAUD unit, in line with the spirit that in Indonesia there must be at least one PAUD, in one village.
The good practice came from Meukisi Village, Yokari District, Jayapura Regency, Papua which showed the active involvement of religious leaders, community leaders and youth leaders in realizing PAUD.
The head of Meukisi Village, Marthinus Sesaray, said that PAUD Sion was born as a result of collaboration with a local place of worship.
“GKI Sion Meukisi Church supports it is very well because given that the importance of increasing human resources in our village, so that in the future they will be able to compete in the world of work. In fact, in the congregation, the Church Council determined that PAUD is part of the development of the church itself,” he said.
Zion’s PAUD recruits educators from local housewives and from Sunday school caregivers at the Church. They have no formal background as PAUD teachers.
Therefore they rely on personal skills and abilities. The number is still small. Marthinus is currently preparing a special training program, using the 2022 Village Fund budget, involving the Jayapura District Education Office.
Not only working closely together and asking the Jayapura District Education Office for guidance, Marthinus is also keen to see the potential of the village youth.
One of them is Anthony Okowali, who previously worked as a village operator, who was partnered with helping encourage the establishment of PAUD in Meukisi.
“Our village government stated that we must build a cooperative relationship with the Jayapura Regency Education Office so that it is in accordance with the Jayapura Regency vision and mission and the Village Head himself,” said Anthony.
The Village Head continued, the presence of PAUD Zion in Meukisi Village, Jayapura, Papua, is expected to give birth to a quality village generation for the nation in the future. Through the collaboration between the Village Head, Church, Youth Leaders, local women, and the Jayapura District Education Office, Meukisi Village has shown its success in building the first PAUD.