The large number of Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) in Malaysia who do not have immigration documents to live in Malaysia is a problem itself when they later marry fellow migrant workers only by religion. Children born from these marriages automatically do not have complete resident documents. This condition causes PMI children to have difficulty in gaining access to education, health, and other facilities in Malaysia. Children who do not receive formal education are vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and involvement in criminal acts. Many Indonesian community organizations in Malaysia have taken the initiative to establish guidance centers as non-formal learning places for PMI children in Malaysia who have difficulty accessing formal education. In addition, there are also guidance centers that facilitate children to develop their talents in art, music, and sports.
Sanggar Bimbingan Wira Damai (SBWD) is one of the guidance studios founded by Sanggar Bimbingan Yakesma and facilitates around 30 children aged 7-15 years. SBWD is located in Kampung Melayu Wira Damai, 68100 Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia. According to the SBWD management, children in the studio generally have high motivation to learn but have low basic mathematics skills. In addition, there are several obstacles faced by SBWD, namely the limited number of qualified and experienced teachers and the lack of funds to organize education, such as to pay teachers and provide learning facilities. Therefore, lecturers in the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Natural Sciences Mathematics (FMIPA) Universitas Brawijaya (UB) were moved to help SBWD.
On Tuesday, (13/8), the Community Service (PkM) team of the UB Mathematics Department consisting of Dr. Wuryansari Muharini Kusumawinahyu, Prof. Dr. Agus Suryanto, M.Sc., and Ummu Habibah, Ph.D. were present at SBWD to carry out activities aimed at increasing children’s interest in mathematics. This activity was attended by around 30 children aged 5-11 years. Amidst the existing limitations, PkM team of UB Department of Mathematic enthusiastically invited the children to play, draw, and tell stories, while indirectly introducing the application of mathematics in everyday life.
“This activity is the first PkM activity that we have done abroad so that currently there are not many meaningful things that we can do. We hope that this activity will be a good start and open up opportunities for other collaborative activities. There are still many guidance studios in Malaysia that need assistance so that this activity can be continued with similar activities that are more varied and creative next year. In addition, guidance studios can also be considered as a place for student of KKN / PkM activities,” said Wuryansari as the team leader.
On that occasion, a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was also signed between the Dean of FMIPA UB and Shohenuddin, M.Ed. as the head of Sanggar Bimbingan Yakesma which oversees SB Wira Damai. It is hoped that the MoA can be utilized optimally, not only by the Department of Mathematics but also by other departments in FMIPA. In addition, a set of mathematical game props was also handed over which are expected to be used by children at SBWD to increase interest in learning. The Department of Mathematics as part of Universitas Brawijaya which is one of the leading universities in Indonesia continues to be committed to improving the quality of education and providing maximum benefits for the Indonesian people. [PON/UB PR/ WMK/ Trans. Iir]
