Village Mentoring Program 2013

Friday, 22/02/2013SurveyMETER

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The SurveyMETER Team discusses with Jatimulyo Village Officials (Photo:SM)

SurveyMETER Sharing Knowledge in Bantul District

The village mentoring program is a knowledge sector program implemented under the structure of the Regional Assistance and Development Division of SurveyMETER. The SurveyMETER mentoring team would assess and assist two villages within a year in terms of institutionalizing the village administration system, basic public services, and compiling village profiles. It was planned that ECED and elderly groups would be the focus of assistance there in the next few months.

The inspiring and driving background of the program—as stated by program coordinator Setyo Pujiastuti that the village is the spearhead of development, so the availability of village profile data is very important. According to Permendagri No. 12 of 2007, village profile data is the reference for planning development programs and community empowerment, as well as very much needed in the process of implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of it.

The institutionalizing of the village administration system issues, especially in the reporting administration and improving better basic public services towards elderly health services and early childhood education (ECED) as the focal points are being worried. Based on Bantul in Figures in 2012, the growth of the elderly is on average above 10% per year. Their population (aged 60 years and over) in the Bantul district reached 111,750 people consisting of 49,892 males and 61,858 females in 2011. In the meantime, based on the results of a survey in Yogyakarta, given that most ECED teachers were village cadres who were concerned with early childhood education but had yet to have any teacher education background or ECED teaching courses.

The moves of the SurveyMETER mentoring team commenced by seeking information about the village profile from the Village Community Empowerment (PMD) Office of the Bantul district government. From the information obtained, in fact, the Bantul district government through the Village Community Empowerment Office has attempted to encourage and assist villages in compiling profile data but having entered 2013, knows that still many villages have not completed the 2012 profile data report.

Furthermore, a team of 7 members (Dani Alfah as person in charge), Setyo Pujiastuti (as coordinator), Fita Herawati, Edy Purwanto, Sukamtiningsih, Muhammad Mulia, and Nur Suci Arnashanti (as implementer) conducted field observations. “Known that of the visited 5 villages in the 5 sub-districts, all have not completed the 2012 village profile data yet. The obstacles faced by the villages in compiling the profile generally were lack of funds, human resources, equipment, and tools. Even based on our observations, actually, these villages could mobilize the participation of cadres in the community to make data collection successful," said Setyo.

The PMD Bantul office then recommended 4 villages to conduct a survey first, namely Karangtengah of Imogiri sub-district, Argosari of Sedayu sub-district, Guwosari of Pajangan sub-district, and Jatimulyo of Dlingo sub-district. From the recommendation and observation results, the mentoring team selected two villages to assist: Guwosari and Jatimulyo villages.

The purpose of this village assistance program generally is to help facilitate, identify, and develop village potential as well as foster community independence and participation in improving their welfare. In detail, the objectives of this village mentoring program were the realization of villages that have good data (coverage, updated, quality) by assisting the completion of the 2012 village profile; institutionalization of a best practice in the village administration system, especially on the village reporting; and improve better basic public services, particularly to health problems for the elderly and early childhood education (ECED).

"SurveyMETER's concern for the welfare of the elderly would be manifested in studies and assistance to the elderly group. It would be carried out in two villages through health education to the elderly and their families, while for PAUD teachers, we were planning capacity-building activities in teaching since ECED is very important as pre-primary education to prepare quality future generations,” said Setyo further while explaining that the mentoring activity had commenced in December 2012. [JF]