Keerom, 22/5 (Jubi) – Although the Benwin Progo Village of Kemtuk Sub-district has been settled for 15 years, only around 30 percent of the people there are able to read and write, its village chief said.
The public health service also has failed to meet the expectation of the local community, the Village Chief Markus Waimene said. Wimene complained about the lack of quality education and health services for the villagers.
“Since 1999 until today we have no school. Nearly seventy percent of villagers can not read,” said Waimene on Wednesday (21/5).
There were 200 people who lived in the village, but some of them have moved to Arso of Keerom Regency for education.
“Because there is no school here, the villagers moved to other places. There are only 34 households with 187 people who stay in the village now,” he said.
Besides the education, another issue such as the health service is also becoming a problem in this village.
“The integrated health service has already established, but medical staffers do not stay at the village. We want them to stay to provide health service for the villagers,” he said.
He also said if the local government could improve road access to his village, the villagers who had moved to Arso would return to the village.
“Our children are mostly going to school located in other villages, such as Arso and Alang-Alang V,” he said.
Adam Yaboisembut, the 1st grade student of SD Alang-Alang V Skanto Sub-district said many of his friends do not go to the school.
“I live temporarily in Alang-Alang V Village to be close with the school and will return home when a truck is passing by my village. My brother is also not going to the school,” he said.
Meanwhile his friend Calvin Imonsana said his parent told him not going to the school until it has been built in their village.
Lenora Berney, the Sub-district Chief of Kemtuk admitted since she was assigned as the chief in 2011, she has built the Subordinate Community Health Center in Bengwin Progo Village.
“At that time, the Deputy Regent of Jauapura Regency also launched the Office of Chief Village. And since 2012, the local development in particular the Kemtuk Sub-district has been a huge concerned of the local government including the Deputy Regent,” she said.
Bengwing Progo Village could be accessed from Jayapura City for about 1 to 2 hours travel times across the Yoka Village of Jayapura Municipality and Arso 4 Village of Keerom Regency. (Jubi/Indrayadi TH/rom)
