To support the eastern region of Indonesia’s human resource and welfare quality, the local and central governments need to pay attention to education development. It was part of the Papua and West Papua development acceleration. And so, one of the many programs given are the ADEM and ADIK. A scholarship-kind program for higher degree education.
The Programs To Full Fill 12 Years Education
Considering that most of the eastern regions of Indonesia are part of the 3T (the outermost, the frontier, and the least developed), it safe to say that the programs are means to increase the education needs. In the land of Papua, the idea itself is lined up with the vision of accelerating the local development in any sector.
However, it is also worth mentioning that Indonesia’s education is adopting the k-12 or 12 years of compulsory education. It means that most Indonesians need to study from elementary to high school. However, due to the vast archipelago area and unbalanced human welfare or resources, the education system is currently not optimal. All goes to the fact that some of the areas in Indonesia are included in the 3T category. Most of the 3T areas are not in the central (Java and Bali). And west Papua or Papua is one of the areas dues to its geological positions in the eastern part of Indonesia. The rich natural resource and natural environment also make it hard to spread the education idea.
It is also worth mentioning that some of the local Papuans are part of the traditional tribe. The whole community also come with diverse background and life quality. It means the area development will include almost every sector. And one of the priorities is human welfare, quality, and education. So, how do the ADEM and ADIK programs work?
About ADEM
ADEM is an acronym of Afirmasi Pendidikan Menengah, or Highschool study affirmation. The program has always gotten a positive response from the local communities. The government has said that a good appreciative response can indicate a great collaboration and functions among the indigenous people.
At some point, ADEM also has huge support from Indonesia. It goes with reasons since the scholarship programs will give an alternative for local to effort the K-12 education system. In this case, West Papua and Papuan natives will have a chance to study in high schools degree for free, such as SMA (Sekolah Menengah Atas) or SMK (Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan).
However, the students that can get the scholarship will go through a very strict selection. It said that only students with a high study ranking (rank 1-10) will be nominated as the scholarship grantee. Students will need to compete with many other talented individuals across Papua, which is part of the selections phase.
About ADIK
ADik or Afirmasi Pendidikan Tinggi, or higher educational degree affirmation will be the other beneficial program. In this case, the programs will have three separate branches that signify the specific areas of the study. The branch categories are ADik Papua and Papua Barat, ADik 3T, ADik ADEM, and TKI (Indonesian workers overseas).
ADik is a scholarship program that means for students who want to continue their study at a higher education level, college, or university. It does not mean that ADik is easier than ADEM. Most students from both Papua and West Papua need to compete with many other talented young Papuans to get the chance to study in college.
Another good point of ADik is its continuous support. Students that have been selected and participating in ADEM can also be nominated for this scholarship. It was a good offer since ADEM grantees are the smartest children on land. Thus, challenging their capability in getting ADik will also be a thing. That is why, both ADEM and ADik have a significant impact on local education.
The Functions
There are many indications that both ADEM and ADik are the breakthrough solution to bump up the eastern education levels. Eventually, it will help elevate the local human resources that simultaneously increase Papuan employment, income, economy, and welfare. It is true since the programs have created many excellent Papuan graduates.
The idea of improving education also goes in line with the idea of elevating the quality, mindset, and attitude of each individual. Not to mention the diverse population in West Papua and Papua. With educated people and better human quality, the area will also be known as a superior place, shedding its 3Ts status, and gaining recognition other than the local natural resources.
It is safe to say that ADEM and ADIK are some of the many good programs to ramp up the local’s education. The Indigenous learner can get the ADEM scholarship to learn on a high school degree. Meanwhile, ADIK offer scholarship for higher education on the college degree. The two have been running since 2020, which has supported the local development acceleration.
