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e-Pabelan Telecenter

The e-Pabelan telecenter was established on 23 April 2004.

e-Pabelan telecenter is located in Pondok Pesantren Pabelan (Pabelan Moslem Boarding School). The pesantren provides a building with the size of 7 x 12 meters. Now e-Pabelan telecenter has facilities of five computers, a printer, a scanner and an internet connection. e-Pabelan telecenter is also equipped with other facilities such as television, a DVD player, an LCD projector, collection of books, VCDs, CD ROMs, cassettes and etc.

Muhamad Chotim: Develop a Passion for Learning

“I learned a lot about computers and their operation after e-Pabelan was set up here in my village” said Muhamad Chotim, a 19-years old young man from pabelan village.

Muhamad Chotim was thrilled after winning second place in a nationwide Information and Communication Technology competition organised by Microsoft. Muhatim, it is how he called by his friends, is a junior high school teacher. He beat the other 150 participants in the competition in the compact-disc creation category. The topic he chose was Arabic-language teaching using Microsoft Powerpoint. Besides receiving a cash prize of Rp. 5 million (US$500), Muhatim won a place on a computer training course in South Korea sponsored by Microsoft.

Amazingly, prior to the establishment of the e-Pabelan, Muhamad Chotim knew next to nothing about computers.

Muhatim says he spent the cash prize on a computer that he will use to train students and to set up a graphic-design business in his hometown. “I have gathered a few young people, and right now we are learning to design a number of products, such as visiting and greeting cards. I want to set up my own business.”

Muhatim has also set his own personal site. He now can be easily reached through http://muhatim.tripod.com/.

Lifeskills English Training for the Non-Elite Youths in Pabelan

An intensive Lifeskills English Training for 60 Non-Elite Youths in Pabelan was conducted in the telecenter for 12 months, started in January 2005. The training was supported with a grant from the Regional English Language Office (RELO) of the United States Embassy.

The objectives of the training were to master English for the purpose of accessing demand-driven information available on the internet and communicating with counterparts worldwide; to improve the youths’ ability in accessing and comprehending information written and spoken in English; and to improve the youths’ ability in using English for oral and written communication in order to enhance their life-skills.

Two English Teachers and two local assistants were assigned for the training program. A team of English expert was assigned to develop the training curriculum, prepare the training materials, conduct the teacher training, and develop the training administration system. One of the pesantren (moslem boarding school— the host of e-Pabelan) leader has been assigned as an advisor for the training program and the e-Pabelan telecenter manager has been instructed to assist the implementation of the program.

The students had their final examination in December 2005, and have acquired significant improvement, not only in their English skills, but also in computer and internet applications. Some received better grades from schools, some got better jobs, and some other now become telecenter volunteers for community development activities.