Bringing Books to Life: Engaging Papuan Children to Read

Bringing Books to Life: Engaging Papuan Children to Read Wigati Yektiningtyas (bio) and James Modouw (bio) Compared to other Indonesian children, the literacy rate of Papuan children is pretty low. According to 2014 USAID’s Baseline Study for Rural and Remote Education Initiative for Papuan Provinces, the EGRA (Early Grade Reading Assessment) is also low, scoring only 14.61 percent (as opposed to the national score of 62.80 percent). This also means that despite Papuan children’s ability to read, they do not understand what they have read. Instead of reading, Papuan children generally prefer to play in the wild (Modouw 34). There is no encouragement from the parents as reading is considered unimportant and education is left entirely to the school. This calls for a strategy to foster Papuan children’s reading interest so they can gain new knowledge and experiences, develop imagination, and improve their language skills. In the early 2013, Community Reading Centers (CRCs) were established in Papua as an answer to this call (Yektiningtyas-Modouw and Karna 67–86). The books in CRC collections initially came from outside Papua and unfortunately, were not very attractive. Despite the improvement in 2020, CRCs still could not successfully attract children to read. During a 2021 observation of CRCs in Jayapura Regency, the children were seen just playing aimlessly. They merely browsed through the books before putting them back, showing no interest in reading. Interviews with several elementary schoolchildren reveal their disinterest in the contents of the books. “I don’t know rice fields, I don’t know elephants, I don’t like reading what I don’t know,” one of them said. Two teachers from CRCs in East Sentani and West Sentani Districts added that the children would read if they were forced to. Meanwhile, teachers from CRCs in Demta District and Kemtuk Gresi District said that while the children read books, they did not understand the contents. The teachers from CRCs in Central Sentani District also mentioned that the children would close the book immediately when they encountered unfamiliar terms, places, trees, objects, or animals. Even unfamiliar proper names could be an excuse for them to stop reading. These children seem to prefer reading folktales from the area where they came from (Yektiningtyas and Gultom 224). They find it easier to read and understand texts with familiar landscapes, animals, plants, daily routines, traditions, or proper names—a phenomenon referred to as “emotional ties” (Lazar). These connections become good bridges to motivate children to read and write, eliminating the burden of alienating materials (Yektiningtyas-Modouw and Karna; Dickinson et al.). [End Page 58] The Use of Papuan Folktales One of Papua’s local excellences that needs to be utilized in education is none other than folktales. This utilization is also in line with Jayapura’s new regulation of local languages and tradition in education in nine customary areas of the regency (Awoitauw 17). This is an attempt to preserve the rarely acknowledged cultural heritages and, simultaneously, further facilitates children’s reading through their emotional connection with local folklores. The texts, loaded with local values, can attract children to read, promoting reading habits and transforming them into independent readers. When all these things have been achieved, children can be introduced to various books from across cultures. The problem of reading difficulty becomes less apparent when folktales are used. Children easily recognize places, plants, animals, and proper names. For example, Ebi dan Kandei (Ebi and Kandei)—a famous fable from Sentani about friendship, fights, and betrayal between a bird and a fish— refers to the name of a Sentani endemic bird (Ebi) and an almost-extinct endemic fish in the Lake Sentani area (Kandei / Glossamia beauforti). Children’s familiarity with the content facilitates deeper engagement with the book. When Ebi and Kandei was used in the reading session, it was generally followed up by listing other birds around the Sentani area, such as the cassowary, mambruk (Goura victoria), kumkum, eagles, and cockatoos. They also listed the native fish in the lake area, such as kahe (Glossamia wichmani) and the rare kanseli (Neoarius velutinus). This activity led to an interesting discussion about extinction in nature and environmental preservation. NM (ten...