Struggle for Education
Photos and Text: Kristianto Purnomo
The journey to the village Cicaringin, District of Mount
Golden, Lebak, Banten just one step away. I drove the car that swept the
village dirt road paved with stone, rise and fall twisting, and splitting the
rubber plantation.
Rural atmosphere it feels when entering the village
Cicaringin. Houses of woven bamboo-walled stage was a sight most of the houses.
The village is located
about 50 kilometers from the center of arguably poor
infrastructure attack.
Not only the main access road to the village was badly
damaged and chipped asphalt, but it was nearly five months residents have
difficulty climbing the steel wire suspension bridge that connects the village
of Kampung Seberang Mustari
For the village children who generally sit still in
elementary school, cross the bridge damaged by flash floods washed away not
without fear. Without a life jacket and rope, and one by one child crawling
across the steel rope stretched across the river 40 meters long. Step by step they
move forward. Occasionally they stopped to look at balancing the thumb-sized
steel rope strong sway.
Meanwhile, ten feet below them, Ciliman
River Ciliman
River
"Kasian children, they must cross the river with a rope
sling (steel wire), not to mention the flooding of the river they had no school
because of the risk is great," said a community leader in Sunta
Cicaringin.
The journey to school in elementary school Cicaringin 3 more
severe for children their age. Early in the morning the boy-child bacah mostly
rubber tappers and farmers' unions have been traveling up and away as far as
six kilometers to go back to school. No wonder if the parents in this village
began to put their children to primary school at the age of eight years because
of physical considerations for a long journey.
For Ibandrio, Maimunah, Masitoh, Enah and about 10 others, a
short walk to school has become a daily breakfast. Although already used to it,
they claimed the trip was quite exhausting. To dispel the tired, jokes and
laughter along the way they sounded.
After school, it does not mean free time of children to
play. Most of the children in Cicaringin choose to collect river sand for sale
to neighbors in need.
A bucket of sand priced at Rp 1,000, they often get Rp 8,000
- Rp 10,000 from the collecting sand. The reason they did nothing but make
money just for snacks, but the way they earn money and live life to education
is not as simple for kids their age.
Source : kompas.com