Photo: The company’s shuttle school bus facility ensures safe and timely transport of local students despite challenging plantation roads
SOUTH PAPUA – Each morning, a fleet of buses run by TSE Group plows through quiet roads in South Papua’s Ulilin District. It has a mission: ensuring students reach their schools on time — and without having to travel tens of kilometers using unsafe, low-quality transport.
Caution is practiced at all times as the four buses cross slick, muddy paths leading to their destinations.
Among the stops is Kigorun Public Elementary (SDN Kigorun), whose construction was supported by TSE Group. Its building now features fully furnished classrooms, including learning aids and student furniture donated by the company, as well as proper restrooms.
Thanks to this school-enterprise collaboration, Kigorun has become a positive learning environment and landmark for educational reform, especially in regions where TSE Group operates.
Infrastructure isn’t the only thing improving in Ulilin District. Local teachers are seeing an increase in well-being, which is most integral to the success of education. Through free housing and honorarium assistance, TSE Group removes barriers to daily needs, allowing teachers to focus on work.
These multi-faceted initiatives have been recognized by Kigorun principal Akhmad Khanifan. “The company’s direct intervention has had a transformative impact on teacher-student interaction.”
Photo: A glimpse of a normal day at Kigorun Public Elementary (SDN Kigorun). Through its donation of desk-chair sets, TSE Group has helped create a comfortable learning space for the students
Having witnessed the issues facing remote areas, TSE Group reimagines its approach to social responsibility through sustainable “Corporate Social Contribution” (CSC) programs. Corporate aid is no longer seen as a short-term charity or ceremonial activity, but as a long-term investment.
“By reinforcing educational facilities, the [TSE Group] management demonstrates its commitment to ensuring local schoolgoers study comfortably and have the same opportunity to achieve their dreams. [For us,] education forms the foundation to Papuan competitiveness and excellence,” said TSE Group’s general manager Daniel Sim Ayomi.
The impact, felt greatly by parents, has brought a sense of peace and gratitude. Matius Bunman — who’s a native and a mill worker at TSE Group — shared how the short distance between his workplace and his child’s school provides a strong sense of security. This feeling is enhanced by the company’s shuttle school bus facility.
“Even when the weather’s bad, parents can do their job in peace knowing their kids are in a safe, fully-equipped environment.”
Through consistent educational initiatives and infrastructure improvements that reach everyday people, TSE Group is slowly weaving a new narrative in Papua— one that speaks not only to the macroeconomic impacts of the palm oil sector but also to how the sector supports indigenous communities as an inclusive growth partner. By putting the right to education at the forefront of its work, TSE Group cultivates hope and confidence among young Eastern Indonesians, enabling them to step into their future with conviction. (PR)
