Student Interview Findings Baseline Study Papua Rural Remote Education Final Report

115 Figure 5.1. Model of Factors that Make Students Absent and Tardy from School Internal Factors Students from Jayawijaya District mentioned that sometimes their parents asked them to go to the field, and thus, they did not go to school. Some other things that prevented the students from going to school were due to their own mistakes, like oversleeping or being lazy. Some could not go because they did not have stationary and books. In Biak District, three out of five students interviewed stated that they could not go to school due to malaria. “I could not go to school because my parents took me to the field.” A student from Jayawijaya – Papua “I did not go since I would arrive late. I played a lot on the way to school so I was late.” A student from Jayawijaya – Papua “I could not go to school since I overslept. I woke up too late because I watched TV until morning.” A student from Jayapura – Papua “I skipped once because I was feeling lazy. I only played at home. Sometimes I was absent because I was sick.” A student from Sorong – Papua Barat “Since I did not have any books or pens to study at school.” A student from Manokwari – Papua Barat 116 “Because of malaria.” A student from Jayapura – Papua External Factors There were students who reported that the rain prevented them from going to school. The field observations showed that such rain in the mountainous areas could flood the transportation paths with mud and thus, made it difficult for people to travel by. “I did not go to school because I got malaria. I just stayed at home for three days.” A student from Biak – Papua However, some students that were interviewed admitted that they kept going to school albeit on foot every day, no matter whether they lived nearby or far away from the school. The students were not afraid to walk to their school since they went with their friends. “I am not afraid of walking to school. I am happy because I can study and play with my friends.” A student from Biak – Papua Teach ers’ Roles and Reactions to Students Students learned both at school and at home. They studied at school under the guidance of their teachers, while at home they were under the supervision and the guidance of their parents. Students perceived the roles of their teachers positively. For those students, the teachers taught well, and they also included fun activities, like singing and playing games. The learning activities usually took place in the classroom. Students did outdoor activities when they worked together to clean the school environment. “We just study inside our classroom. We have an outdoor activity when our teacher asks us to clean the yard.” A student from Biak – Papua “We have activities outside the class only to weed the grass.” A student of Manokwari – Papua Barat Besides learning in class, the students were also assigned homework. Sometimes, the students did not do their homework. As a punishment for not doing the homework, the teacher asked them to do their homework in class. 117 Punishment to a Student – Jayapura My teacher gave me homework to do at home. Sometimes, I forgot to do it at home. When I went to class the next morning, the teacher asked me to do my homework in the class until I was finished. Figure 5.2 showed more about the teachers reactions to students who did not do their homework based on the findings of the student interviews. 118 Figure 5.2. Model of Teachers’ Reactions to Students Who Did not Do Their Homework According to the students, other teachers’ reactions when the students did not do their homework were: 1. Standing in the front of the class or outside the class Some of the teachers punished students by making them stand in front of the class or outside the class. This activity only lasted for a few minutes, and when the punishment time was over, the teacher let the students sit. 119 “My teacher made me stand for a few minutes in front of the class, but then let me sit.” A student from Sorong – Papua Barat 2. Writing their homework on the board and prohibiting the students from going home before they finished their homework One of the teachers from Biak punished the students by making them do their homework on the board in front of the class or prohibiting the students from going home before they finished their homework. “Punished, my teacher made me do my homework in front of the class.” A student from Biak – Papua 3. Hitting students with a rattan and tweaking students’ ears One of the teachers from Jayapura hit the students with a rattan if they did not do their homework. However, one student said that the teacher did not hit him hard with the rattan. “My teacher hit me with a rattan cane, but not too hard.” A student from Jayapura – Papua 4. Scolding and humiliating the students The students from Manokwari said that if they got bad grades, their teacher would scold them and tell them to study hard. Other students from Manokwari said that the teacher said that they were stupid in the front of the class. “If my grade was bad, my teacher did not like it. He told me that I was stupid.” A student from Manokwari – Papua Barat 5. Doing nothing There were also some teachers who did not give any kinds of punishment for students who did not complete their homework or did not do it well. “My teacher did not give any grades; he did not do anything. He would tell the answers later on.” A student from Jayapura – Papua Teacher Appreciation to Students 120 In general, teachers appreciated students who finished their homework or their assignments well by praising them. Figure 5.3 showed a model of the teachers appreciation towards their students. Figure 5.3. Model of Teacher Appreciation to Their Students Some teachers also gave gifts and exempted the students from doing their next assignments. One of the teachers in Biak District gave dolls as gifts to the students who could complete the assignments well and correctly. Another teacher in Jayapura gave a Pinang Fruit Areca as an appreciation for students who did their homework well. “My teacher told me that I was smart. She then told me to reread it. She never gave me any gifts.” A student from Jayawijaya – Papua “Once my teacher gave me a Barbie doll since I could answer the questions correctly and well.” A student from Biak – Papua “My teacher did not praise me, but he gave me an Areca.” A student from Jayapura – Papua “My teacher praised me, she told me that it was good and she told me that I would pass, and excused me from doing the other assignment.” A student from Manokwari – Papua Barat Parents’ Roles at Home 121 Students’ learning activities also took place at home. During that process, teachers played an important role in guiding and supervising the students studies. Besides parents, siblings also helped the students’ learning process at home. For example, students from the Jayawijaya District received assistance from their siblings when their fathers were busy working. “My father helps me do my homework. When he is working, my older sibling helps me.” A student from Jayawijaya – Papua During the learning process at home, both parents and siblings also read books to the students. These books were generally textbooks, religious storybooks, and children’s storybooks. If the parents were unable to read, the siblings or the uncle replaced their role. “My mother helps by reading the school textbook and storybook for me.” A student from Biak – Papua “My older sibling reads to me, but not my parents. My mother cannot read.” A student from Jayawijaya – Papua “She did. My mom usually reads to me. She usually reads books that tell stories about God to me.” A student from Jayapura – Papua When the parents could not fulfill their roles at home, there were grandparents who replaced the parents’ duties. The Grandparents’ Role at Home – Biak My father works in Jayapura and never comes back home. My mother works in Serui and only comes home once every three months. I live with my grandparents, and they always watch me study at home. There were also some students who studied by reading independently without the help of their parents or siblings. “Nobody reads books to me. My mother cannot read. I read by myself and practice writing. When I feel sleepy, I directly go to sleep.” A student from Jayapura – Papua 122 Students’ Interest in Education Students had a strong interest and passion to study. The students revealed that they were happy when they studied at school. One of the reasons was because the school would make them happy and make it easier for them to achieve their aspirations. Students’ aspirations varied, such as to become a teacher because this profession educates people to be smart, to become a doctor because a doctor heals people’s illnesses, to become a soldier because a soldier will protect the security of the village, to become a civil servant, and to become a mechanic in order to get money. “I dream to be a doctor when I am grown up, since I will be able to give injections and prescribe medicine.” A student from Biak – Papua “To become a teacher who shares knowledge with everyone.” A student from Biak – Papua “To become a nurse, because I can then work in a hospital, looking after and giving medicine to sick people.” A student from Biak – Papua “A soldier, so I can protect my own village.” A student from Jayapura – Papua “A civil servant because I can just sit, but I get money.” A student from Manokwari – Papua Barat “I want to be a teacher, because I can make people smart.” A student from Sorong – Papua Barat

5.2 Parents’ Interview Findings

In this study there were 30 parents from 30 schools involved. They came from 6 districts; Manokwari, Sorong, Jayawijaya, Jayapura, Mimika, and Biak. The parents’ interview findings described children’s roles at home, difficulties that the children encountered at school, parental support, challenges in parenting , parents’ perceptions and interest in education, and parents’ hope for school. Children’s Roles at Home At home, children generally studied, helped clean the house, and sometimes joined their parents in their work. Parents who made their living by farming, taking care of their 123 plantations, gathering sago in the forest, or catching fish, usually asked their children to help them. Activities at Home – Biak My children love to help their mother in the plantation, at least once a week. We do not force them. They are eager to help in our plantation. Sometimes, after helping us in the plantation, they play with their friends. At night, they start to study or do homework. Difficulties that Children Encountered at School According to the parents, there were many factors that made it difficult for students in receiving the lessons at school. Figure 5.4 shows the difficulties that children encountered at school. Figure 5.4. Model of Difficulties that Children Encountered at School Based on Parents Interview Findings The lack of teachers was one of the obstacles for the students when they received their lessons at school. 124 “I think my child is hardworking, but there are not enough teachers. This school is good, it is near the street, active, but from back then, I see that it does no t have enough teachers.” A parent from Biak – Papua “The issue is a lack of teachers. There are 2 government and part-time teachers. For sure, the school’s lack of teachers will make it difficult for the students to study.” A parent from Manokwari – Papua Barat “Regarding the difficulty in studying, I think what prevents my child to study is the fact that the teacher has to give more attention to those other students who can no t read yet, while my child can already read.” A parent from Mimika – Papua “The issue that the children have at school is with reading. Oftentimes, there is not a teacher to teach them, and thus they feel not really motivated to learn how to read.” A parent from Biak – Papua A parent from the Manokwari District thought that the quality of the teachers in their area was still low. Some teachers had to teach subjects that were not their expertise, for example, a religion teacher taught Mathematics and Indonesian language. The parents thought that children would not learn effectively when teachers who taught the subjects did not have proper qualifications. “I do not think the children themselves have problems. Instead, I feel that it is the content that is lacking in quality. This primary school here has always lacked teachers. Furthermore, the teachers available here also lack knowledge. For example, one teacher has background knowledge in Religion, but she has to teach Mathematics and Indonesian Language. They do no t master those subjects.” A parent from Manokwari – Papua Barat However, some other schools had a sufficient number of teachers, and parents hoped that, with additional lessons, students at early levels would absorb the lessons better. “There is not any additional lesson, only for those in the 6 th grade. Thus, parents have to help the children at home.” A parent from Sorong – Papua Barat A parent in the Jayawijaya District stated that hisher child encountered difficulty in receiving lessons at school due to the lack of lighting facilities in their house. Their house was a honai that only had limited lighting. “We have an issue. There is not proper lighting at our house, so sometimes we have to use fire, a candle, or a flashlight. That i s the only issue.” A parent from Jayawijaya – Papua