The Amungme-Kamoro Community Empowerment Foundation (YPMAK) Commits to Supporting Quality Education Development in Central Papua

Timika – The Amungme-Kamoro Community Empowerment Foundation (YPMAK) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the local government in developing quality education in Central Papua.

Leonardus Tumuka, Chair of YPMAK, stated in Timika on Thursday that the effort to build quality education for the younger generation in Central Papua is a shared responsibility among all community stakeholders.

“Collaboration and cooperation are crucial in developing the education sector,” said Leonardus.

YPMAK is the partnership fund management body of PT Freeport Indonesia dedicated to empowering the Amungme and Kamoro tribes, as well as five other indigenous tribes living in the vicinity of the mining area in Mimika Regency, Central Papua.

Leonardus welcomed the initiative of Peter Warobay, a member of the Central Papua Provincial Council (DPRP), who facilitated a training program on Basic Intelligence Construction in Education, Intelligence Development Training, and the Application of Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic (Calistung) Learning Methods using the Montessori Approach for primary school teachers. The training was attended by 22 teachers from Nabire Regency and held at Taruna Papua Boarding School (SATP) in Timika.

“We at YPMAK support this positive initiative to broaden the reach of quality education for the younger generation in Papua,” said Leonardus, who completed his doctoral studies at the University of the Philippines Los Baños in 2015.

Leonardus hopes that such activities can be carried out continuously to help improve the quality of teachers working in regencies across Central Papua and the entire Papua region.

“We will further discuss the continuity of this program. But from YPMAK, we support the idea of making such training programs part of our efforts to improve the quality of our teachers. If we can help from Timika, why not?” he added.

Peter Warobay, who also serves as a member of the Central Papua DPRP, acknowledged that education is a pressing issue that needs serious attention from all stakeholders in Nabire Regency.

He pointed out that the education sector in Nabire is significantly lagging behind other regions, with many elementary and even junior high school students still struggling with basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills.

“The reason we held this training is because we are seriously falling behind. In villages across Nabire Regency, students nearing the end of elementary school still cannot read or write,” Peter explained.

He emphasized the importance of teacher training to improve the quality of education, as teachers are the key drivers in enhancing educational outcomes.

“I tried to communicate with the school principal, and he told me the school belongs to YPMAK, so I could reach out to the Chair of YPMAK and the Education Division. Mr. Leonardus was open to the idea, and we were finally able to conduct the training. If you’re asking why, it’s because our children in the villages are being left behind,” Peter said.

Peter plans to inform Central Papua Governor Meki Fritz Nawipa about the training so that future teacher training programs can be facilitated by the local government.

“Human resources development starts with the teacher. Without quality teachers, we can’t achieve anything,” he concluded.