On the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, celebrated annually on October 5th, Unity Foundation wishes to pay tribute to all teachers working for the education of children around the world, and in particular to those working in the Community Schools of our partner organisations in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malawi and the Central African Republic.

The role of teachers, sometimes underestimated, is crucial for the progress of communities. It is also a job that requires endurance and perseverance, as illustrated by the story of Listerwati, a teacher at a Community School of our partner YBTI, in the village of Paninjoan in Indonesia.

From discouragement to hope

In July 2017, after nearly ten years as a teacher, Listerwati thought her teaching career was coming to an end. For the last six years, local religious authorities had advocated the inhabitants of Paninjoan not to send their children to the YBTI school and this had led to a gradual decline in the number of students to a mere three children. Listerwati was about to give up when she participated in a meeting organized by YBTI, which had a transformative effect on her. At this meeting, the focus of the reflection was on the sacrifice of a teacher in serving the needs of local communities and the crucial role he or she plays in laying a solid foundation for a child’s development. Following this meeting, Listerwati and another young teacher continued their efforts with renewed energy to face the challenges that would arise. 

Raising parents’ awareness of the importance of education 

An experienced teacher was sent by YBTI to support and accompany them during their visits to parents, which resulted in 3 new children joining the school, bringing the number of students to 6 after one week. A month later, another experienced teacher helped them organize a parental study program; four mothers from the community participated. After the study, they shared their learning with their neighbours, and three other mothers requested to attend the same program. Two weeks later, Listerwati organized the second parental study session for 8 mothers and began to receive many requests from parents in the village. The word spread to the neighboring village, and one month later, another program was organized with 20 mothers, then another with 15 parents.

 A parental study program organized by Listerwati

The enthusiasm shown by these parents and their appreciation of the program had by now set Literwati and her assistant teacher on fire. By the end of this cycle of parental study, the number of children in the school had risen to 8.

Collaboration with local institutions 

Subsequently, Listerwati contacted the local head of the village to obtain the support of the authorities in order to raise awareness amongst the inhabitants of the village of the true nature of child education and the role of parents and society in that process. Two months of preparation and hard work ended with a parental seminar jointly organized by YBTI and the local government of Paninjoan. 86 participants joined the seminar. 

The fruit of sustained efforts

After the seminar, the number of children enrolled at Paninjoan Community School had risen to 25, with 3 teachers and Listerwati as the head of the school.

Listerwati, who intended to close her school twenty months earlier, has transformed into a position where she is taking the key lead in training the new teachers and assisting in the growth of the nascent school. Since then, she has been providing her services as a teacher trainer and assists in conducting parental study programs in other community schools.

On the occasion of World Teachers’ Day, let us therefore express our gratitude for the efforts of those who work hard to ensure that new generations develop intellectually and morally and become agents of positive change in their communities!