English Education Study Program Supports Community Service in Transmigration English Village

English Education Study Program Supports Community Service in Transmigration English Village

Mandastana, Barito Kuala Regency – In an effort to enhance educational opportunities and promote self-sustainability in remote areas, the English Education Study Program at the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) of the University of Lambung Mangkurat (ULM) collaborated with students to carry out a community service program in the Transmigration English Village, located in Karang Indah Village, Mandastana District. The program, which took place on Thursday (27/7/2023), aimed to train and assist local tutors in developing their own learning media using readily available materials and reducing dependency on technology.

Given the limitations of electricity, internet access, and the availability of smartphones in many regions, relying solely on technology for educational purposes can be challenging. The FKIP ULM team sought to introduce alternative teaching methods that were not reliant on technological aids and could be easily implemented in such environments.

The community service program introduced four different types of learning media to the English Village tutors: Flannel Board, Hand Puppet, Word Cards, and Flash Cards. These traditional and interactive tools were carefully selected to cater to different learning styles and encourage active engagement among students.

A team of three lecturers, namely Emma Rosana Febriyanti, Fahmi Hidayat, and Raisa Fadilla, along with two students from the English Education Study Program at FKIP ULM, Annisa Salsabila and Muhammad Khoirul Anam, spearheaded the community service initiative. They were part of the university’s mandatory Faculty Program for Community Service (PDWA) in 2023, with a specific focus on supporting the Transmigration English Village tutors in Karang Indah, Mandastana District, Barito Kuala Regency.

The Transmigration English Village is a unique initiative that aims to provide quality English language education to its residents. Prior to receiving assistance from the FKIP ULM team, the village tutors underwent a three-month training program in Pare, a renowned English learning center in Indonesia. The collaboration with FKIP ULM aimed to further enhance the tutors’ teaching skills and encourage the creation of localized learning materials.

In a statement, Emma Rosana Febriyanti, the project coordinator, expressed her optimism about the impact of the community service program. She emphasized the importance of empowering local educators to create their own teaching resources, as it would lead to a more sustainable and effective learning environment in the Transmigration English Village.

The FKIP ULM team’s dedication to promoting education in underserved regions and their commitment to empowering local educators through this community service program received praise from both the villagers and the university community. The initiative is expected to leave a lasting positive impact on the Transmigration English Village, fostering a more inclusive and technology-independent learning atmosphere for the future.

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