An Oasis of Knowledge in Kampung Rambutan Bus Terminal

The Al Barkah Social Home was founded in 2010 by Bang Nur to his friends. Bang Nur is a shop owner living in a kampong just behind the terminal. The father of five from Lebak, Banten, said that he did not want local kids to grow up uneducated like him.

KOMPAS/SATRIO PANGARSO WISANGGENI

Iis Sugiarti teaches her students at Rumah Singgah Al Barkah Shelter in Rambutan Kampung bus terminal, East Jakarta, on Thursday (19/7/2018). Every day, about 15 to 20 young children come to the shelter to study free of charge.

Rean, 5, was running and laughing heartily around the classroom, disrupting Riska, 5, and Naya, 6, who were drawing. The two girls asked Rean to pipe down. Rean, as boys often do, just kept on running.

This is a common sight in early childhood education centers everywhere, where children spend their “school hours” learning and playing to their hearts’ content.

However, the Al Barkah Social Home, where Rean, Riska and Naya go to school, is a little bit different. It is a wooden hut inside the hectic Kampung Rambutan bus terminal in East Jakarta.

The Al Barkah Social Home was founded in 2010 by Raden Supardi, or Bang Nur to his friends, 58. Bang Nur is a shop owner living in a kampong just behind the terminal. The father of five from Lebak, Banten, said that he did not want local kids to grow up uneducated like him.

Furthermore, he did not want these children to waste their childhood between buses and public minivans. By setting aside parts of his income, Bang Nur established the small hut and filled it with various reading materials.

At first, the Al Barkah Social Home was established behind the bus terminal, right beside Ciliwung River. However, as the location was often flooded in the rainy season, the social home was moved inside the bus terminal in 2016. It can be found by the exit gate for intercity buses, just behind the power substation.

Filling spare time

The Al Barkah Social Home is filled with reading materials to enable children of street buskers and sellers to rest and fill their spare time. Bang Nur said he truly understood the gloomy future that awaited those without basic education. He had difficulties in accessing education in his younger years in his home village of Gunung Kendeng, Lebak regency, Banten.

“At the time, I only had one book and one pencil. I hung them by a tree near my school so I could not lose them,” he said.

Despite having established the social home, which serves as a simple reading room for children, Bang Nur said that he still had dreams. He said that he wished the social home could be a place for children with no access to education to enjoy cheap and good education.

“I know my skills. I cannot teach these children. I don’t even finish elementary school,” he said.

Three years ago, Bang Nur met with Iis Sugiarti, 49, an early childhood teacher wishing to teach the kids around Kampung Rambutan. At the time, Iis traveled around to teach the children of street sellers.

“One day, when I was traveling around, I took a rest at the social home. That was when I met with Bang Nur, who offered me to teach at his place,” Iis said.

Iis has been an early education teacher since 2000. She said that she founded and managed a simple early childhood education center (PAUD) in her neighborhood in Tanah Merdeka, East Jakarta.

Free of charge

Since 2015, the Al Barkah Social Home has housed the Al Hikmah Special Care PAUD. Now, the center has around 20 students, to whom it imposed no fees. School hours are between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. for toddlers and between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. for elementary school students.

Riska, the girl who loves to draw, said that she enjoyed being at the school as she could gain many friends and study  with them. “I want to be a medical doctor when I grow up,” she said.

Beside her was Naya. As an elementary school student, she had arrived earlier to study. Naya chose to stay behind at the school, draw pictures and accompany Riska.

Iis said she was sad that the Al Barkah Social Home did not have adequate infrastructure to help its students build their dreams. The 15-square-meter building has waste wooden boards as walls and iron sheeting as a roof. It has no windows and is terribly hot at daytime. Lighting is also poor. There are holes on one corner of the walls.

KOMPAS/SATRIO PANGARSO WISANGGENI

Iis Sugiarti teaches her students at Rumah Singgah Al Barkah Shelter in Rambutan Kampung bus terminal, East Jakarta, on Thursday (19/7/2018). Every day, about 15 to 20 young children come to the shelter to study free of charge.

Bang Nur said that he had never made or sent a funding proposal to anybody. “I cannot write a proposal. Whoever wants to donate can come here and see our learning process,” he said.

He said that the Seribu Guru (A Thousand Teachers) community assisted the social home’s move inside the bus terminal. The East Jakarta Library and Archive Office donates books to the social home.

Parents are grateful for the social home’s presence.

“I prefer my kid to spend his days here instead of playing outside. My kid was 3.5 when he enrolled at the PAUD Class A. Now, he is in Class B,” said Rean’s mother Rina, 33, who sells beverages at the terminal.

Iis said that many of her students’ parents did not prioritize their children’s education. She said that many seemed to have resigned to the children’s fate of not being accepted in formal school due to administrative issues.

Iis said that many of her students could not go to formal school as they had no birth certificates and their parents had no family cards. However, Iis persistently kept her chin up. She said that she would keep teaching her students despite setting no lofty targets.

“At least, they must be able to read, write and do simple math. This will prevent them from falling for scams,” she said. (*)