What a difference a night makes.
Before the Mayang Mangurai Education Foundation (YPMM) began offering a weekly evening class to tutor Tebing Tinggi high school students in 2006, more than half were failing the national exam to graduate high school.
Four years later, more than 90 percent of the 108 students who took the exam passed.
The course is managed by Suratman, an employee of the PT Lontar Papyrus paper mill near the community’s high school.
“The reason for the course is that the passing rate was below 50 percent,” Suratman said. He said that number was not only frustrating for students, but also disappointing for parents.
To correct the problem Suratman and other Lontar Papyrus employees volunteered as tutors. Each employee teaches 15 to 20 students on different weeknights. As a result, pass rates have doubled.
The dramatic improvement was noted by Tora Siregar, a volunteer. Although he and his Lontar Papyrus colleagues are not paid for their services at the special night school, he said they get many rewards.
“We all share the desire to educate the children,” Siregar said.
Jessica Devitasari, who recently passed the national exam, is grateful.
“Before this program, many students from my high school did not pass the exam,” she said. “Now there is a significant improvement.”
