KNTI Reveals Almost 80% of Small Fishermen have poor education

KNTI Reveals Almost 80% of Small Fishermen have poor education

• 80% of small fishermen only have education below junior high school level. This condition is present in the midst of the problem of community poverty in Indonesia's coastal areas that has not yet been resolved.
• The acceleration of improving the quality of coastal community resources is considered to be a development priority in the marine and fisheries sector.
• In addition to the human resource development program, the Government is asked to immediately complete the data collection program so fishermen can access their rights.
• Opportunities to stimulate the younger generation to be involved in this sector are very open. Moreover, there has been an increase in fishery production in recent years.

80% of small fishermen only have education below junior high school level (SMP). It is feared that the regeneration of the fishing profession will be abandoned if the government does not intervene.

The percentage quoted from the data from the Directorate of Elementary Schools (Ditpsd) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, was revealed in an online discussion on Outlook for the Indonesian Traditional Fishermen Association (KNTI) 2023.

As explained by Dani Setiawan, General Chair of the KNTI, the 2022 Ditpsd data shows that the lives of coastal communities are increasingly marginalized. This is because, in addition to the low level of education, as many as 1.3 million people in coastal communities are also categorized as poor. This number is equivalent to 12.5% ​​of the total national poverty.

In fact, in 2021, the extreme poverty rate in coastal areas will reach 4.19%, or higher than the national extreme poverty rate of 4%.

According to these data, said Dani, development in the marine and fisheries sector needs to simultaneously accelerate the quality of coastal community resources. This is done by providing access to education for fishermen's children, as well as programs to improve skills in the marine and fisheries sector.

He believes that the knowledge and skills of fishermen are closely related to the quality of the products they produce. In addition, it is also useful for adapting to technological developments and responding to the impacts of climate change.

"We have (had) an audience with the Research and Human Resources Agency of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP)," explained Dani from the KNTI office, Jakarta, Monday (13/2/2023). "Reportedly, at the direction of the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, now specifically for education under the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, it is encouraged that if possible it can accommodate 100% of fishermen's children."

For Revrisond Baswir, Chair of the KNTI Expert Council, the Ditpsd data which states that 80% of fishermen have an education below junior high school, is a worrying phenomenon. Bearing in mind, national statistics show that around 55% of the workforce has an education below junior high school.

Based on this percentage, he considered, the fishing profession was not only ignored by policies at the macro level but also received a negative response from the community at the grassroots level. This profession is considered unpromising, so it is increasingly being abandoned.

Revrisond said that this situation must be responded to by making improving the quality of coastal community resources a priority in discussing programs and policies related to economic democratization.

It is hoped that this quality improvement will increase love for the marine and fisheries sector, not abandon it. So, in the future, high school graduates (SMA) and universities want to involve themselves in the development of the fishing profession.

"This is very, very big work. I think most of it stems from a policy," explained the teaching staff of the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Gajah Mada.

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Regeneration Opportunity

Fishermen regeneration is a necessity as well as a strategy to respond to future challenges. Statistics on increasing national fishery production are believed to be an opportunity to speed up the process.

Riza Damanik, Chairman of the KNTI Advisory Board explained, the opportunity to stimulate the younger generation to be involved in this sector is very open. Moreover, based on statistics compiled by KNTI there has been an increase in fishery production in the last few years.

Since 2016, Indonesia's fishery production has grown by an average of 1.78% per year. Meanwhile, when compared to 2020, fishery production in 2021 has increased by 12.12%, with an average fishery production of 22.98 million tonnes per year.

The challenge is if the number of fishermen and fish cultivators decreases because the quality of life for coastal communities does not improve, then the impact can affect the volume of fishery production and national food needs.

"Currently we know that the dependence of the Indonesian people on fulfilling animal protein from fish has reached above 51%. So, half of our protein needs from fish. If it is shaken, it will disrupt the fulfillment of our food needs, "added Riza.

In order to avoid a continued decline in the number of fishermen, in addition to programs to improve human resources, he assessed that the fisheries administration system needed to be completed immediately. So that rights such as social protection, insurance, financing facilities, to training programs can be accessed by all fishermen in Indonesia.

"No later than 2024, and there cannot be unregistered Indonesian fishermen," said Riza.

The fishermen's data collection program is said to have received attention from the Minister of Home Affairs, who last year sent a letter of appeal to all regional heads to help speed up the input of fishermen's card data.

KNTI itself currently has involved the younger generation in programs related to the digitization of fisheries governance. The innovations made by these young people, for example, are linking production in fishing villages with business partners elsewhere.

"KNTI pays attention to young people, entering this ecosystem so that people's fishing activities develop in the future," concluded Riza Damanik.