..every teacher selected and sent to the Papua Highlands must develop a love for the region, its people, and its environment to remain committed to their calling.
Wamena, Papua Highlands (ANTARA) -

Education remains a source of hope for children in remote areas of Papua, where access to infrastructure, technology, human resources, and security is more limited than in urban centers.

The future development concept for Papua focuses on three pillars: Smart Papua, Healthy Papua, and Productive Papua. The three pillars complement one another as part of efforts to improve the welfare of Indigenous Papuans (OAP) across all sectors.

Data from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education shows that the number of teachers in Jayawijaya District, in the Papua Highlands, ranges from 3,259 to 3,291, including 90 teachers from the Indonesia Cerdas Foundation.

Meanwhile, Jayawijaya has 122 elementary schools, 36 junior high schools, 13 senior high schools, and six vocational high schools.

Of the elementary schools, 69 are public and 53 are private. The junior high schools comprise 18 public and 18 private schools, while the senior high schools include five public and eight private schools. Of the six vocational high schools, one is public and five are private.

Jayawijaya District is located in the heart of Papua, a region now divided into six provinces.

The district comprises 328 villages and four urban villages spread across 40 sub-districts. Despite serving as the capital of Papua Highlands Province, many areas still face gaps in infrastructure, technology, human resources, and security.

Atenius expressed his appreciation for the foundation's teachers for their dedication to serving the region and imparting knowledge to its younger generation.

Limited educational support facilities, including teacher housing, internet access, and adequate security, have made some teachers, including civil servants (ASN), reluctant or uncomfortable to remain at their assigned posts.

In response, the district government has sought solutions to improve educational services by engaging teachers from a foundation.

The Jayawijaya District Government and the foundation have collaborated in the education sector for the past 10 years. This year, under the leadership of Jayawijaya District Head Atenius Murib and his deputy, Ronny Elopere, the partnership continues.

"We have signed a follow-up cooperation agreement with the Indonesia Cerdas Foundation to strengthen education services," Atenius said.

Under the collaboration, the foundation has deployed 90 teachers to support education services at 137 elementary and junior high schools in the district.

The foundation deployed 50 teachers in 2025, followed by another 40 in June and July 2026, bringing the total number of teachers deployed to 90.

Atenius expressed his appreciation to the foundation's teachers for their dedication to serving the region and educating its younger generation.

The foundation brought in additional teachers after the absence of some teachers from their assigned posts disrupted educational services, particularly at elementary and junior high schools in remote areas of Jayawijaya.

Students in these areas could go for days, weeks, or even months without attending school, a situation that could significantly affect the quality of human resources among the younger generation.

Atenius praised the foundation's teachers for their dedication, noting that although they were not Indigenous Papuans (OAP), they remained committed to carrying out their duties.

With the foundation's teachers now serving in the area, he urged local communities to safeguard and protect them for the sake of the future of the region's younger generation.

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Indonesia Cerdas

The Indonesia Cerdas Foundation arrived in the Papua Highlands region, which at the time was still part of Papua, between 2013 and 2014.

The foundation's educational partnerships in Papua initially received support from Lanny Jaya, Mamberamo Tengah, and Tolikara districts. However, the three districts ended their partnerships after several years. Jayawijaya District began working with the foundation in 2016-2017, and the partnership has continued to this day.

Professor Fransiskus Irwan Widjaja, chairman of the Indonesia Cerdas Foundation, said serving through education reflects the teachings of Jesus Christ to his followers. He said this principle is instilled in teachers deployed to Jayawijaya, who are trained to live alongside and serve the communities where they are assigned.

He believes that every teacher selected and sent to the Papua Highlands must develop a love for the region, its people, and its environment to remain committed to their calling.

According to Widjaja, the concept of serving through education in Papua should foster a sincere love for the region, allowing teachers to develop a sense of belonging in their assigned areas. The mission is not about making a living or merely surviving, but about living alongside and sharing life with the people of Papua.

He cited John 13:13: "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am." Therefore, Widjaja noted that the role of a teacher is associated with the five offices or ministry gifts in the church listed in Ephesians 4:11: apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher.

He said these values are instilled during teacher training, similar to the principles taught to God's servants, helping ensure that teachers remain committed to their assigned positions over the long term.

Herman Doga, a community leader from Jayawijaya District, said the local government's policy of increasing the number of contract teachers from the foundation was a positive step toward supporting the development of human resources among the region's younger generation.

He added that the initiative must also receive support from the entire Jayawijaya community.

Doga stressed that teachers play a crucial role in shaping the future of Jayawijaya's children and that their safety and well-being must therefore be safeguarded.

The presence of teachers in village schools will also reduce the need for parents to send their children to Wamena to receive an education.

For this reason, he called on the community to value and protect the teachers, who can contribute to improving the future of the region's younger generation.



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Editor: M Razi Rahman
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