Jakarta, May 2 2024 – Sekolah Alam Tunas Mulia Bantar Gebang, an informal educational institution serving children of trash scavengers who reside around the Integrated Waste Processing Site (TPST) in Bantar Gebang, has recently received new housing assistance from PT. Bina Karya Prima (BKP). This school, which offers education from early childhood to high school, relies on volunteers to teach various subjects including religious education, reading, and arithmetic, similar to the curriculum in formal schools. Juwarto, Founder of Sekolah Alam Tunas Mulia Bantar Gebang Foundation, explained, “In the 2023-2024 academic year, the school accommodates 275 students. Some of these students live in a dormitory located within the same area as the school.”
Dr. Uu Saeful Mikdar, SpD, MM, Head of the Bekasi City Education Office, added, “Non-formal education is an educational pathway outside of formal education that is conducted in a structured and tiered manner, mostly found in early childhood and basic education. This includes equivalency education such as Package A, Package B, and Package C, as well as other educational programs aimed at developing students’ abilities. Examples include Community Learning Centers (PKBM), training institutions, learning groups, religious study (taklim) groups, and art centers.”
Juwarto added, “Sekolah Alam Tunas Mulia Bantar Gebang is part of the Community Learning Center (PKBM). The diploma issued upon graduation from high school is equivalent to a formal high school diploma and can be used to continue on to higher education for a bachelor’s degree. The presence of this school in the TPST Bantar Gebang area is very helpful to scavengers who cannot afford to send their children to formal schools due to living costs. The free education we provide here is utilized by them to send their children for education. Many parties have helped us provide adequate facilities for the children of scavengers studying here,” Juwarto explained. “The large area here is also used by donors to provide facilities such as a prayer room, a computer lab and its equipment, a library, and even dormitory housing to ensure a comfortable living environment for these students. The scavengers who send their children here do not have adequate housing to live with their kids. Initially, the school classrooms and dormitory facilities provided by us were just simple rooms and huts made of bamboo and plywood, accommodating not only the children of scavengers but also orphans and less fortunate individuals who are eager to send their children here for free education and shelter to ease their living burdens,” Juwarto continued.
To support the daily comfort of students, PT. Bina Karya Prima (BKP) has provided new housing for the girls’ dormitory. BKP, one of the leading and largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies in Indonesia, is known for its consumer brands, including Tropical cooking oil, Shinzu’i soap and personal care, Zen antibacterial soap, forVITA margarine, and many others. Aristo Kristandyo, Senior Vice President of Marketing at PT. Bina Karya Prima, explained, “Our involvement with Sekolah Alam Tunas Mulia is a continuation of previous activities conducted by Tropical cooking oil, one of BKP’s consumer brands, on National Waste Care Day 2021 and National Children’s Day 2022. Given the increase in the number of students at Tunas Mulia Nature School each year and the growing need for dormitory space, we were motivated to provide housing assistance, especially for the girls’ dormitory, where the original structures were very basic, made of bamboo and plywood, with mats for sleeping. We aimed to accommodate up to 25 girls in the new dormitory.”
In 2024, we have provided new, comfortable housing and beds for the increasing number of girls, which has grown to 36 this year. We hope this new housing will support the students in their schoolwork and provide a comfortable place for rest. We believe that a home is the first place for children to receive non-formal education effectively, serving as a foundation for nurturing their dreams. We hope that this new dormitory housing for the girls will become a home that helps them achieve a better future and realize their aspirations,” Aristo concluded the conversation with media representatives.
