YOGYAKARTA – UGM student introduced foreign cultures to children through an education tour to motivate them to pursue more study. The Education Tour (E-Tour) programmed introduced by a Philosophy student, Muhammad Zaadul Haq, is given in Jetis village in Gunung Kidul regency. “Most students here only go to elementary schools, then either they help their parents in their work or get married,” he said on Friday (2/5).
Four other students, Aan Fajar Lestari, Ahmad Nadzir, Teguh Wijaya, and Desy Susilawati, in cooperation with the Australian Consortium for ‘In-Country’ Indonesian Studies (ACICIS) UGM invited tourists from the U.S. A., Australia, and Madagascar to introduce the children to their cultures. The E-Tour programme also introduce the local tourism of Gunung Kidul to the tourists.
Up to 120 children and 2-3 tourists joined the programme that last five times.
The E-Tour is welcomed by the local government. Village chief, Sunarso, gives his support, “We hope this will be sustainable and become an official institution as well as a role model for other regions so that children in remote areas can learn the outside world,” he concluded.