THE IMPORTANCE OF FURTHER EDUCATION

A Study on Further Education Opportunities for Children in Emplawas Village, East Babar District, Southwest Maluku Regency

Abstract

The aim of this writing and research is to explore and analyze the ongoing issues surrounding community-based education, particularly for children, in the context of a rapidly advancing and developing era. Despite progress in many areas, there are still children who drop out of school and do not continue their education. Ideally, education should be a continuous journey that every child undertakes from early childhood education, kindergarten, and elementary school, through to junior high, senior high, and even university. Education plays a vital role in shaping children's futures, nurturing their cognitive, emotional (affective), and physical (psychomotor) development. However, in many communities, the strong dependence on natural resources and deeply rooted cultural traditions has led to a different prioritization, one in which education is no longer seen as essential. People tend to place greater value on their environment and inherited cultural identity, viewing these as sufficient to sustain their way of life. As a result, formal education is often overlooked. Sociologist David Popenoe (1971) emphasized the critical functions of education, which include transmitting cultural values, helping individuals identify and fulfill social roles, fostering social cohesion, and serving as a source of innovation within society. This study uses a qualitative research approach as described by Creswell (in Safrudin et al., 2023), where the researcher gathers insights from the lived experiences and perspectives of participants or informants. The findings of this research reveal that community members hold diverse views on the importance of education. For many, natural resources are seen as a primary source of wealth, while culture and tradition remain central to their identity sometimes taking precedence over the pursuit of formal education.