Young Papuan read magazine in Tablasupa Village, West Papua – kompasiana.com
Jayapura, Jubi – Jayapura Municipality has the lowest illiteracy rate among the entire regencies/municipalities in Papua Province, at 0.14 percent. The illiteracy rate in Papua for 2013 was at 32.63 percent.
“Jayapura Municipality, which the human development index ratified high at the national scale and has the lowest illetaracy rate in Papua Province, deserved to obtain the literacy award from the Indonesian Minister of Education And Culture at the commemoration of the international literacy day 2015 at the national level held in Karawang, West Java,” the Papua Vice Governor Klemen Tinal said in his speech in the commemoration of the 50th International Literacy Day (HAI) and the declaration of Indonesia Reading Movement (GIM) held at the University of Cenderawasih Auditorium in Jayapura on last week.
In line with the vision and mission statements of the Governor and Vice Governor of Papua Province that Papua to be Arisen, Independent and Prosperous, he said the provincial government has succeeded to endorse the optimism and confidence in Papua. “There are eleven provinces which still have the highest illiteracy rate and the highest rank is Papua.
Off course we are not proud with this fact, but today the Papua Provincial Government and the local governments in Papua Province highly commit and believe that we can prove to other that the worst in the education field could be the best in the next five years,” he said.
The illiteracy rate in Papua for 2013 reached 32.63. It is very varied figures; several regencies in the mountainous area have the human development index under the rank of 497 at the national scale. “One of the priority programs in Papua is education program to become a right solution in the elimination of illiteracy in the entire of Papua land,” he said.
The Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture, Anies Baswedan said it’s never been late for people to learn, and they must encourage themselves to keep learning.
“We can have any position in life. It could be changed anytime, but the passion and learning activities should be kept everyday by anyone at anytime,” he said.
Therefore he asked to all stakeholders to be aware that the richness of this nation including the richness of Papuans are not grounded in their land, but in their human resources instead.
“Human resources are our biggest richness. In the past when in colonial period, in the map, Indonesia was only regarded as the producer of natural resources. Indonesia was considered as a country whose the land was exploited to produce oil, gas and other resources while its human resources were step back. Thus, the similar condition was applied for the entire country,” he said.
According to him, in the initial post-colonial period, the literacy rate in Indonesia was 5 percent; means 95 percent of Indonesian were illiterate. It was also applied for Papua. Thus, Baswedan urged the Papuans to not assume they are late to learn. “Never said Papua is too late. No. There is a stunning future in Papua. Do not talk about natural richness, but talk about the human development index. We must emphasize it,” he said.
Meanwhile the Jayapura Mayor Benhur Tommy Mano said the municipal government is continuing to battle the illiteracy in Jayapura Municipality. In 2009 the illiteracy rate in Jayapura Municipality decreased to 0.77 percent. “And in 2013, the figure was significantly decreased to 0.14 percent while in 2014 the literacy rate has reached 99.90 percent. It is the success of the PKBM (Community Learning Center) managers in providing the literacy education and educators as local government’s extension,” said Mano. (Abeth You/rom)
