Starfruit (malangkota.go.id) – A number of students from various countries who are studying at IKIP (Teacher Training and Education Institute) Budi Utomo (IBU) Malang visited the Literacy Village in Pandanwangi Village, Malang City, Sunday (14/5).
They studied with local children in a series of field studies and community service. The arrival of five foreign students from Portugal, Madagascar, Thailand and Vietnam was warmly welcomed by residents and children.
The five of them immediately headed to the Smart Literacy Neighborhood Security Post (Poskamling) in RT 02 RW 01, Pandanwangi Village to see the collection of books at the poskamling which also functions as a reading park or mini library. The arrival of the foreign students immediately attracted the attention of residents and children who were at the poskamling to read books.
They also greeted each other and communicated using Indonesian and occasionally using English. The pronunciation of foreign languages from a number of students made the children laugh happily. They looked friendly playing and studying with the children, they even provided English training and socialized to get to know each other better.
Sarah Reis, a student from Portugal, had the opportunity to teach numbers in Portuguese to children.One of the (One), two (two), three (three), four (four), five (five)," he taught.
Meanwhile, Dang Phi Phuy Dung, a student from Vietnam, had the chance to play congklak with children accompanied by Bodoaravong Meva from Madagascar, Sareena Pohchach and Suhaibah Bulah from Thailand. Residents and children gathered to see Vietnamese citizens playing the traditional children's game.
The existence of the Smart Literacy Security Post in RT 02 RW 01, Pandanwangi Village, has proven to be not only an arena for local residents to socialize, but also to bring them together with students from a number of countries in a friendly atmosphere.
They do not just want to see the security post that is being fostered by IKIP Budi Utomo, but also exchange cultures. In fact, students from various countries intend to do community service together with the local campus academic community.
The foreign students greatly appreciated the existence of the Smart Literacy Security Post. According to them, the existence of the place could be an inspiration for other regions.
Head of Development of IKIP Budi Utomo Malang Nurcholis Sunuyeko told the media crew that the visit of foreign students from a number of countries to the Smart Literacy Security Post was one of the community service activities.
"They are in Malang studying Indonesian, so we also want to invite them to do field practice to socialize with residents. We invite them to this Smart Literacy Security Post as a series of field studies in an effort to share knowledge and culture with children," he said.
Therefore, he continued, IKIP Budi Utomo appreciates the initiative of residents in developing a culture of literacy to educate the nation's children in facing global competition. By providing added value to the poskamling as a reading room as well as for night watch, the efforts of local residents are very creative and innovative.
For that reason, the academic community of IKIP Budi Utomo Malang stated that they are ready to educate residents and provide English training considering that Pandanwangi Village, Blimbing District, Malang City is a tourist route. All of this is done to empower the community's economy while strengthening the importance of literacy.
The Smart Literacy Security Post was founded from the idea of local residents who wanted children to make the best use of their time and not be influenced by negative things such as the tendency to play... gadgets to the point of being affected by drug abuse. The existence of this place also received appreciation from officials of the Ministry of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucratic Reform of the Republic of Indonesia (Ministry of PANRB) who visited on Tuesday (9/5).
They consider the existence of this smart literacy security post to be a very creative idea, so this innovation needs to be passed on to everyone in the Republic of Indonesia.
Similar support was also given by the Malang City Government. Malang Mayor H. Moch. Anton strongly supports the existence of this literacy care poskamling.
The presence of the place actually strengthens the literacy care program and the thematic and character village development program that is being driven in Malang. In addition to being a means of teaching and learning, this security post will also be packaged by residents as a place for literacy tourism in Malang City.
"To support literacy activities, we and the residents want this Literacy Village to become a literacy tourism village in Malang City. Anyone can visit, read and create and innovate at the Smart Literacy Security Post for free," said Sukemi, the head of the security post. (say/yon)
