In a classroom, a familiar story about family life, a traditional game, or a visit to the garden can become more than a conversation starter. For children in Manokwari, these everyday experiences are now being considered as entry points for learning to read, understand new concepts, and appreciate the cultural heritage of their communities.
The Patriot Expedition Team from Airlangga University (TEP Unair) is developing learning modules that integrate Papuan culture and customary traditions into primary school education. The initiative seeks to strengthen basic literacy while ensuring that children encounter their languages, stories, knowledge, and cultural practices as meaningful parts of their education.
The project responds to two related challenges identified by the team: differences in pupils’ reading abilities and limitations in the availability of teaching materials. By using examples drawn from children’s surroundings, the team hopes to make lessons easier to understand and more relevant to daily life.
The initiative also carries a broader message for education in Papua. Modern learning and cultural preservation need not compete with one another. When thoughtfully incorporated into classroom materials, local knowledge can help children develop foundational skills while strengthening their connection to the communities in which they grow up.
From Field Research to Classroom Materials
Identifying the Needs of Primary School Pupils
The development of the modules began with an assessment of basic education challenges in the Manokwari area. Imam Gazi, coordinator of TEP Unair Team 7, said the team mapped educational issues in Warmare, Prafi, and Masni districts, which together form the area commonly referred to as Warpramasi.
The mapping exercise provided the basis for designing learning materials that respond to local conditions rather than relying entirely on generic examples. The team considered differences in pupils’ literacy levels, the teaching resources available to schools, and the importance of making lessons understandable to children with various learning needs.
“Materi disusun dekat dengan realitas kehidupan murid untuk menjawab ketimpangan literasi lintas fase dan keterbatasan buku ajar,” Imam said, as quoted by detikNews. In English, he explained that the materials were being developed around pupils’ real-life experiences to address differences in literacy development and shortages of learning resources.
This approach places context at the center of learning. A child who recognizes the people, places, foods, or activities described in a lesson may discover it easier to connect unfamiliar words with familiar experiences. Such examples can also provide teachers more opportunities to encourage pupils to describe what they know, ask questions, and communicate their ideas.
The purpose is not to replace the national curriculum or basic literacy instruction. Instead, the modules are intended to provide supplementary material that helps teachers connect established learning objectives with the lives of their pupils.
A Collaborative Process Involving Teachers and Education Stakeholders
After the initial mapping, the team moved into consultation with local educators and other stakeholders. On September 29, 2026, a focus group discussion was held in Kampung Udapi, Prafi District, to gather input from teachers and school principals.
The discussion was designed to bring classroom experience into the development process. Teachers understand the reading levels of their pupils, the challenges they encounter when explaining lessons, and the kinds of examples that are likely to make learning more accessible. Their contribution is therefore important in ensuring that a module is practical, not merely attractive in concept.
The consultation also involved practitioners, academics from Unair’s Faculty of Humanities, representatives of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, and Indonesia Mengajar. Their participation broadened the discussion beyond the preparation of written materials, bringing together perspectives on culture, education policy, and classroom practice.
This sequence, from field mapping to stakeholder consultation and module development, is intended to make the resulting materials more responsive to the needs of schools in Warpramasi. It also provides a basis for reviewing the modules before wider use.
Bringing Papuan Culture into Everyday Lessons
Language, Folklore, and Traditional Games
The proposed modules draw on several aspects of local life, including language, folklore, traditional games, local knowledge, arts, customary practices, and everyday family routines.
These elements offer teachers a range of ways to connect literacy with cultural understanding. A folktale, for example, can become a reading exercise in which pupils identify characters, follow a sequence of events, and explain the story in their words. A traditional game can provide material for vocabulary, instructions, counting, or descriptive writing. Local expressions and familiar objects can help children connect spoken language with written words.
The approach also creates opportunities for intergenerational learning. Parents and grandparents often possess stories, games, and customs that standard textbooks rarely include. When teachers invite families to share appropriate cultural knowledge, children can encounter their heritage through both school activities and conversations at home.
The modules are also intended to draw on practical experiences familiar to children, such as family activities in gardens and foods they regularly encounter. These examples can help turn abstract concepts into material pupils can observe, discuss, and describe.
The educational value lies in the connection between what children already know and what they are learning. When a lesson begins with a familiar experience, teachers can build toward new vocabulary, reading comprehension, and other learning objectives without making the subject feel disconnected from the child’s environment.
At the same time, local culture is not uniform across Papua. Languages, customs, and traditions differ among communities. Cultural material must be chosen carefully, considering the community it comes from and the age and background of the pupils using it. Involving local educators and families can help ensure that the content is respectful, accurate, and relevant.
Preserving Identity without Turning Culture into a Museum Piece
The project reflects a broader understanding of cultural preservation. Traditions are more likely to remain meaningful when children can engage with them in everyday settings, rather than encounter them only during special ceremonies or cultural festivals.
Incorporating local stories and knowledge into education gives pupils opportunities to explore their heritage while developing skills they need in a changing world. It also helps demonstrate that local culture can be a source of knowledge and creativity, not simply a subject to be remembered.
For younger learners, such an approach can build familiarity and confidence. Children may be more willing to participate in a lesson when they recognize the subject matter and feel able to contribute from their experiences. Teachers, meanwhile, can use the materials to encourage discussion between pupils and invite them to compare different family experiences and cultural practices.
The initiative’s success will depend on maintaining that balance. The modules need to support reading and comprehension while presenting cultural material in ways that are inclusive, age-appropriate, and consistent with educational objectives.
Manokwari Education Office Welcomes the Initiative
Parjiyanti, head of the Manokwari Regency Education Office, welcomed the effort to connect learning materials with the social and cultural characteristics of local communities.
She said the work could produce a learning module that serves as a reference for teachers and a model of effective educational practice. In her view, the development of modern education should not lead children to forget the knowledge and traditions of their communities.
“I believe the Patriot Expedition Team is working together with us to produce a learning module that can eventually serve as a guide and a good practice for us to adopt. Local wisdom will help us move forward. The development of the times should not make us forget local wisdom; the two should progress together,” Parjiyanti said, according to detikNews.
Her comments underline the role of local government in making the program useful beyond the initial research stage. A module developed by an expedition team will have a greater chance of making a lasting contribution if teachers can integrate it into their work and schools have the support needed to use it effectively.
Parjiyanti also expressed hope that the approach would help nurture a generation of Manokwari children who are intellectually capable and grounded in local cultural values.
Such an ambition connects educational performance with character development. Literacy allows children to access information, communicate, and continue learning, while an understanding of cultural heritage can help them appreciate the experiences and values of their communities. Neither objective needs to be pursued at the expense of the other.
A Wider Effort to Strengthen Education in Papua
The module project is taking place within a broader government effort to improve human resource development and support communities in transmigration areas. TEP brings together university-based teams and the Ministry of Transmigration to identify local challenges, assess regional potential, and work with communities on practical solutions.
Unair’s assignment in Prafi began in August 2026. The university’s wider work in the area has included research and community assistance across several fields, reflecting an approach that links local development with collaboration between academics, public institutions, and residents.
Education is an important part of that wider agenda because children’s learning affects their ability to participate in future economic and social life. Better literacy can support further study, vocational training, and access to information. Teaching that is responsive to local circumstances can also help schools engage pupils whose experiences differ from those represented in standard textbooks.
The national policy context is equally important. President Prabowo Subianto has emphasized education as a foundation for national progress. Speaking during Indonesia’s National Education Day commemoration in May 2025, he said the country could not become prosperous or advanced without a successful education system.
Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, coordinating minister for infrastructure and regional development, has also stressed the importance of government presence in ensuring that children have educational opportunities, particularly when families lack the resources to support their schooling. His remarks, cited in the report, reflect the principle that access to education should not depend entirely on a family’s financial circumstances.
These statements provide a policy backdrop for initiatives such as the Unair modules. Yet, pupils only find policy commitments meaningful when effective teaching, appropriate materials, and sustained support for schools translate them into action.
The Next Stage: Testing the Modules in Classrooms
The team’s next step is to test the modules in actual learning settings. It plans to observe pupils’ progress and gather feedback from teachers so that the materials can be improved before further use.
This phase will be critical. A module may appear relevant during planning, but classroom testing can reveal whether pupils understand the content, whether teachers can use it comfortably, and whether the activities genuinely support literacy objectives.
Assessment should therefore look beyond whether children enjoy the stories or recognize the cultural references. It should also consider whether the materials help them read more confidently, understand what they read, expand their vocabulary, and communicate ideas more clearly. Feedback from teachers can identify which activities work well and which need revision.
The process also provides an opportunity to ensure that the modules are accessible to children with different levels of literacy development. Where necessary, activities can be adjusted to suit pupils who need more support while still giving stronger readers opportunities to progress.
The team has indicated that the materials will be refined using classroom observations and teacher input. This iterative approach will ensure the final product is a practical educational resource shaped by the schools’ needs, not just a collection of cultural stories.
Long-term impact will require more than the completion of a pilot. Schools need access to the finished materials, teachers need time and guidance to use them, and local stakeholders need a way to keep content accurate and relevant. The involvement of educators and community members from the outset could provide a foundation for that continuity.
Conclusion
TEP Unair is seeking to make primary school learning in Manokwari more closely connected to the lives of children. By incorporating local languages, folklore, traditional games, arts, customs, and everyday family experiences into teaching modules, the team aims to strengthen literacy while helping pupils remain connected to Papua’s cultural heritage.
The process has moved from mapping educational challenges in Warmare, Prafi, and Masni to consultation with teachers and stakeholders, followed by the development of learning materials and plans for classroom testing. Support from the Manokwari Education Office has added a local government perspective to the effort.
The next measure of success will be practical: whether pupils learn more effectively, teachers consider the materials useful, and the modules can be maintained as part of regular educational practice. The project should also continue to respect the diversity of Papua’s cultures by collaborating with local communities and accurately representing cultural knowledge.
If these conditions are met, the initiative could offer a useful example of how education can advance without distancing children from their heritage. For Manokwari’s young learners, the stories, languages, and everyday experiences around them may become more than familiar parts of life. They can also become building blocks for literacy, confidence, and lifelong learning.
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