Teacher Training Becomes a Strategic Step to Boost Education Quality in Central Papua

Timika – Teacher training in Central Papua has emerged as a crucial starting point in efforts to enhance the quality of education, particularly in underdeveloped areas. A recent initiative involving literacy and numeracy training using the Montessori approach, held at the Taruna Papua Boarding School (SATP) in Timika on Wednesday (April 23), stands as a concrete example of cross-sector collaboration in tackling fundamental education challenges.

The training was attended by 22 elementary school teachers from Nabire Regency and was facilitated by a member of the Central Papua Regional House of Representatives (DPRP), Peter Warobay, with full support from the Amungme-Kamoro Community Empowerment Foundation (YPMAK).

Leonardus Tumuka, Chairman of YPMAK, emphasized that enhancing teachers’ capacity is the first step toward achieving inclusive and high-quality education across Central Papua.

“Teachers are the frontline of education. If we improve the quality of our teachers, the quality of education will naturally follow. At YPMAK, we are ready to collaborate to ensure training programs like this become a sustainable agenda,” he stated.

YPMAK, which manages partnership funds from PT Freeport Indonesia, remains committed to empowering local communities, particularly the Amungme, Kamoro, and five other indigenous clans in the Mimika region and its surroundings.

Peter Warobay explained that the low literacy and numeracy skills among students in Nabire motivated the implementation of this training. He noted that many elementary school students in remote villages still struggle with basic reading, writing, and arithmetic.

“This is an educational emergency. We need swift and effective breakthroughs, and this training is one of the answers,” Peter asserted.

He expressed hope that such training would not stop here, but instead be expanded and replicated in other regencies throughout Central Papua.