From 16 to 18 January 2023, Dr Indrawati as SEAQIS Director was invited by PT PKN (Pesona Khatulistiwa Nusantara) to Tarakan City and Bulungan Regency to survey the school and environment around coal mine of PT PKN as one of the corporate social responsibility programmes in education field. The geographical condition of Tarakan City and Bulungan Regency which were separated by the sea and the river caused the survey trip became more challenging. Moreover, the students and teachers also had to put more effort to go to school because of the condition there.
There were several activities attended by Dr Indrawati during this visit. First of all, there was a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with all vocational high school principals in the North Kalimantan at SMKN 2 Tarakan. In this occasion, Dr Indrawati stated that the vocational high schoolers could join in SEAQIS internship programme through the Golden Ticket scheme which provides an opportunity for them to be an intern as well as be a college student. The next activity was visiting the coal mine site and schools around the area. From this visit, Dr Indrawati recommended several alternatives on teacher coaching which could be implemented through PT PKN social responsibility programmes: (1) school-based assistance to improve the elementary and junior high school teachers competence in understanding Science concept; (2) the utilise of learning media provided in schools and the environment; (3) develop an interesting inquiry-based learning; and (4) the utilise of school environment as a learning source. The results of this visit will be the base of cooperation agreement between SEAQIS and PT PKN in improving the quality of human resources through education.
The signing of cooperation agreement was carried out by PT PKN with various stakeholders, including SEAQIS. Moreover, this is the first collaboration document for SEAQIS in 2023 and the MoU in education field was signed by Dr Indrawati and Mr Tria Suprajeni as the Business Development and General Director of PT PKN. On the MoU signing ceremony, Mr Tria said, “What is stated in the MoU should be implemented so that we can contribute more to the environment as in line with our vision and missions.”
This programme was also supported and appreciated by the local government as Mr Erin Wiranda (Assistant II of Bulungan’s Development and Economy Fields) came to represent the Bulungan Regent. He stated that the children in Bulungan should not only be spectators, but they must be competitive and innovate to contribute in developing Bulungan, North Kalimantan, as well as Indonesia.
Writer: Lintang Ratri Prastika
Translator and Proofreader: Ayu Intan Harisbaya
