Jakarta – Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, visited the Mount Moria Lentera Harapan School (SLH) in Tangerang, Banten, which focuses on helping the education of remote Papuan children. At that event, Puan expressed her support so that the Gunung Moria SLH students, who are under the banner of the Papua Hope Education Foundation (YPHP), can return to their homeland and help build regional progress. Upon arrival at the location, Puan was greeted by the founder of SLH Gunung Moria, Aileen Hambali Riady. He then met and had a dialogue with Papuan students studying at the school. Scroll TO CONTINUE CONTENT “When I was told about the Mount Moria Lentera Harapan School, I immediately thought it was a wonderful initiative of the Papua Hope Education Foundation (YPHP). Because this concept is very similar to the values of Pancasila, which breathes the spirit of mutual cooperation that is the hallmark of the written declaration of the Indonesian nation, Monday, Indonesian nation (8/20). In the spirit of mutual cooperation, Puan emphasized that the principle of ‘no one being left behind’ should be a priority. According to Puan, if children on the island of Java or the metropolitan area have access to a good education, then children in Papua also have the right to a decent education. In the spirit of mutual cooperation, a prosperous life is the right of all Indonesian people from Miangas to Rote Island,” he said the visit also invited a number of members of the PDI Perjuangan faction of the Indonesian House of Representatives to see firsthand the YPHP initiative in the establishment of the Gunung Moria Lentera Harapan School. A number of members of the PDIP faction that accompanied Puan were Vice Chairman of Commission VIII DPR Abidin Fikri, Vice Chairman of Commission IX DPR Charles Honoris, Head of Commission VIII DPR Selly Andriany Gantina of Commission IX DPR Denny Cagur, and Member of Commission X DPR. I deliberately invited my friends from the DPR-RI PDI Perjuangan faction so that they could see first hand this good initiative of elements of the society like YPHP. The arrival of Puan and her entourage was also to support the smooth running of children’s activities at SLH Mount Moria DPR wanted to learn from the YPHP Foundation’s initiatives, as well as to play and interact directly with the students. For your information, SLH Gunung Moria officially starts its first academic year in July 2023. YPHP sees the urgency of building a strong foundation in the ecosystem where Papuan children grow and learn every day, as well as bringing the young Papuan generation to a safe and healthy environment to develop. As many as 300 Papuan boys and girls from inland areas were sent to Karawaci, Tangerang to begin their educational journey. These children previously studied kindergarten and primary school in the interior of Papua, and when they entered high school, they were taken to Jakarta to continue their studies. The YPHP Foundation hopes that students who receive education at SLH Mount Moria will one day have the heart to return and serve in the three areas that the foundation’s focus is: education, health services and church services. The hope is that one day these students will be called to the interior of Papua and develop either as teachers, nurses or servants of the people. Puan also appreciated the vision of SLH Gunung Moria, which he said should continue to be studied and developed from the school. “I am also happy that YPHP have the hope that the children studying at this school will feel called to return to Papua and perform services there, so that all our brothers and sisters in Papua can be part of Indonesia’s progress,” he explained. During the dialogue, Puan stated that the DPR will support the education of Papuan children through the board’s functions. He also appreciated YPHP’s efforts to improve the quality of education for remote Papuan children. “Thank you to the foundation who helped and kept the hope of children in remote Papua,” he said. After the dialogue, Puan visited the class IX area and saw first-hand the children’s learning activities at SLH Gunung Moria. Some students even study on the school terrace due to limited space. They are students who previously studied kindergarten and primary school in the interior of Papua before moving to SLH Gunung Moria, Tangerang. The children were happy to be visited by Puan and the DPR entourage. They described conditions in the interior of Papua, including learning problems, and high poverty in their area. The children expressed their gratitude for the presence of SLH in their midst. Moreover, they felt the love of the SLH teachers who not only teach well, but also are role models. “The love of the SLH teachers really left an impression on the hearts of the Papuan children I met at SLH Moria. I can see from their words, we have to help. Puan expressed her gratitude to the children of SLH Moria who were willing to share their stories with the DPR RI Be loved and protected by Almighty. “To all, thank you for accepting our presence at this extraordinary school. My message to all my children is, keep learning and dare to dream as high as the sky, because we are building an Indonesia where every Indonesian child, including those from Papua, can realize their dreams in the archipelago,” he said. “Let’s carry out the spirit of mutual cooperation to ensure that all children in Indonesia receive quality education and become fully Indonesian people,” he explained. At that event, Puan was shown a number of pictures and photos showing educational activities in the interior of Papua shows what was carried out by YPHP. One of them is Yonce, who had to wake up at 03:00 in the morning to get to school without lighting, over dangerous bridges. “I was actually tired and scared at that time. I was also afraid of falling off the bridge because the bridge was damaged and collapsed,” Yonce said. That’s why Yonce is grateful that he received educational assistance and can now attend school at SLH Mount Moria. To Puan, he expressed his dream of becoming a doctor and returning to build his hometown. “Because in Papua there are many sick people, and there is no one to help serve them,” he said. Just like Yonce, a student named Emma Grace from Central Papua expressed her desire to become a health worker and help the people in her area. “I also want to teach the old people there to speak Indonesian, because they don’t understand Indonesian,” said Emma (prf/ega).