WEST BANGKA -- Students interest in learning about local history continues to grow. This was evident from the visit of dozens of students from SD Negeri 4 Mentok, West Bangka Regency, to the Indonesian Tin Museum (MTI) in Mentok, one of the historical education destinations in the region.
A total of 50 students, accompanied by teachers and parents, showed great enthusiasm as they took part in hands-on learning at the museum, which is also part of a Cultural Heritage area. The visit was part of the school’s curriculum to support the implementation of the Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project (P5), particularly under the theme of local wisdom.
Accompanying teacher Marlena explained that the visit aimed to introduce students to the history of Mentok and the important role of tin for the people of Bangka.
“This visit is part of our P5 learning. We want to instill values of local wisdom and history in the students. At school, we don’t have a specific subject about the history of tin and the city of Mentok, so the museum becomes a very useful learning resource,” she said.
During the activity, students not only observed historical artifacts related to tin mining but also received educational explanations from museum staff. This visit complemented previous lessons conducted at several other historical sites, such as temples and the Jami Mosque of Mentok.
One of the parents, Septiriani, also appreciated the outdoor learning initiative.
“As a parent, I’m very happy that our children had the chance to visit the Tin Museum. They now better understand the history of Mentok and the importance of tin. Activities like this are very positive for expanding children’s knowledge,” she said.
Meanwhile, Genita, one of the SDN 4 Mentok students, expressed how much she enjoyed learning outside the classroom.
“Learning outside of school is fun and exciting. We get new knowledge that we don’t learn in class,” she said.
The same sentiment was shared by Rafi’i, who hopes to have another learning opportunity at the museum.
“I’m happy to learn while playing with my friends. I hope we can come back here again,” he said.
