Becoming an enumerator for the KREASI Program marked the beginning of Okto’s interest in education work in Pulau Morotai District, Maluku Utara Province.
KREASI in Morotai is managed by Save the Children with Stimulant Institute as the local implementing partner.
“At that time, I did not know what an enumerator was, and the names KREASI, Stimulant Institute, and Save the Children were also new to me. But once I learned that the task was related to education, I saw it as an opportunity to gain experience while seeing firsthand the condition of elementary schools in Morotai,” said Okto.
In 2025, the first year of KREASI implementation in Morotai, Okto had the opportunity to be involved in a survey with the program’s outcome monitoring consultant and began to learn more closely about the education situation in Morotai.
During his university studies, Okto learned many theories about teaching and learning, but his practical experience in schools was still very limited. His experience with KREASI made him realize that working directly with schools was more aligned with his interests.
“I told the Stimulant Institute team that I wanted to join again if there was another opportunity,” he said.
The next opportunity came when he was entrusted to become a Technical Support Assistant. This role provides additional support by teaching in KREASI-assisted schools in Morotai that experience teacher shortages, especially when teachers from those schools are attending KREASI training sessions.
As a graduate of the teacher education program at Universitas Pasifik Morotai, Okto had previously completed a teaching practicum. However, at that time, he was used to teaching all students with the same approach, focusing on delivering material according to the teaching module.
As a Technical Support Assistant, Okto was equipped with knowledge on how to support students experiencing learning delays. From this, he came to understand that each child requires a different approach. Okto was also introduced to literacy and numeracy learning methods that are more enjoyable, interactive, and connected to children’s daily lives.
His experience as a Technical Support Assistant strengthened his belief in continuing to contribute to education in Morotai. He later joined Stimulant Institute as a staff member.
“My expectation was that working at Stimulant would mostly mean going to the field, working while also getting a bit of healing. That was what made me interested. I thought, this seems nice,” said Okto.
Okto then had to learn many new things behind the scenes, from preparing terms of reference and managing activity administration to preparing financial accountability reports.
At first, Okto felt overwhelmed because he had never learned those things before. He often asked his colleagues for input whenever preparing documents, so he could understand which parts needed improvement. The process was not easy, but it helped him continue to grow and become more prepared to carry out his responsibilities.
For Okto, advancing education in Morotai cannot be the responsibility of teachers or institutions alone. All parties, especially community members who have the opportunity to learn, need to take part.
KREASI will not be present in Morotai forever. For this reason, Okto hopes that more young people from Morotai will be willing to carry this spirit forward and work together to advocate for education in their region, so that the changes that have begun can continue.
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KREASI (Collaboration for the Education of Indonesian Children) is a program to improve the quality of education by strengthening literacy, numeracy, and character education. KREASI in Pulau Morotai is managed by Save the Children and implemented by Stimulant Institute, with funding from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), as well as support from the Government of Pulau Morotai and Indonesia’s Local Education Group, led by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) and the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag).
Writer: Ayutama Putri Jordy | Editor: Andika Ramadhan | Photo: Ayutama Putri Jordy/KREASI/Stimulant Institute/Save the Children