SCHOLARSHIP AND THE FAIRY TALE of ADVANCEMENT of PEOPLE of EAST NUSA TENGGARA (NTT)

By Gregorius Mosed Karhindra, ST

      Most of the people of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) until 2012 and don’t know till when, especially those located in rural or remote areas without infrastructure support for advancements in education, health, transportation and so forth. 

      Overseas scholarships for men / women of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) of foreign governments such as Australia, New Zealand, United States and so forth is ‘the fresh air’ and a chance to advance in the field of education that should not be squandered.

Through the scholarship, it is expected the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) people could have started the progress of education and then expanded into other fields. In terms of men / women of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) who have completed master studies (S2) in foreign countries, go back to the area of ​​East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and build communities of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) as a whole based on the knowledge and experience.

      Scholarships have been there long lasting even decades in which the public should Nusa Tenggara (NTT) can be considered advanced. But in fact, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) still bearing the title 'Nusa Terus Tertinggal (Keep Left Nusa)' is evidenced in many ways. For example, the value of Ujian Nasional (UN) of primary, junior high and high school ranks in the lowest overall average of a Republic Indonesia, the number of poor families, and others.

    The question can be raised is why is not there harmony between the goals of scholarship and the advancement of the community of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) in general or the scholarship does not make significant progress for the majority of the people of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT)?

      Here are some opinions that can be used as a reason:

1. Alumni scholarships do not apply the knowledge acquired abroad to the public directly in the form of ongoing training.
2.  Even if there are to apply knowledge acquired abroad but not to the needs of the community. For example, law graduates to lecture the importance of understanding the law. While the public need for the urgent need is to either livestock or farming or how to harness the river, wind, manure and the sun's heat to generate power, and so forth.
3. Alumni scholarship more likely to say the experience before getting a scholarship is not the action after receiving a scholarship for the benefit of the community of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). As if to get a scholarship abroad is evidence of success and goals of their struggle.
4. Low seriousness Alumni scholarship to help in the real action cause the thought of himself/herself. There's even after graduating from the master study (S2) abroad, returned to Indonesia but working outside the province of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
5. Not followed men / women of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) were ready and had proved bold foray into the lives of remote communities in the region of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) as the recipient of a scholarship because they have low English language skills or have not reached the minimum requirement value toefl.  

 And so forth.

    Thus, it is suitable relationship between the failure of the purpose of the scholarship with the backwardness of the majority of the people of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), especially those living in rural or remote areas. Or in other words, for the people of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) especially who live in remote areas, the progress by granting scholarships for the men / women of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) who never even did not want to live or feel living in rural or remote areas in long period (> 6 months) or areas of specialization in education does not suit the needs of communities in rural or remote areas, it is just a fairy tale.

    In conclusion, how ironic and heartbreaking, the scholarships as a means for the advancement of the people of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) in optimizing the overall natural and human resources available in the province of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) had be like the most important goals as evidence of progress . Thus the progress of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) as a whole let alone living in rural or remote areas as a result of granting scholarships to foreign countries, is really a fairy tale. Even with the alumni scholarship look at some of the behavior of the importance of self-advancement and progress can only tell because acquired by graduates from abroad to others, it could be a beautiful fairy tale for some people with ambitions to achieve the same position, whereas for most other especially who live in rural or remote areas which their poverty and backwardness, catch up 'for sale' as a reason to get a scholarship and later earned are stories of life experiences and about the situations overseas is truly the most disgusting fairy tale.