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ABC News
01-08-2025
- General
- ABC News
Firefighters in Indonesia respond to range of calls for help, highlighting service gaps
Read the story in Bahasa Indonesia Wahyu Sinoval was out of options. The year 10 Indonesian student needed someone, anyone, to pick up his report card. In Indonesia, a parent or guardian would normally collect a student's end of year academic report card. But Wahyu's father died in 2023 and his mother doesn't go out anymore due to her Tourette syndrome, a neurological condition which causes involuntary movements and vocalisations, known as tics. Wahyu's aunt became his legal guardian and main caregiver, but could no longer help after suffering a stroke earlier this year. "I already asked my friends' mothers and my neighbour for help, but none of them were available," Wahyu told the ABC. The 16-year-old, who lives in Central Java, made an unconventional decision. "I also once saw on social media that there was a firefighter who was willing to help pick up a student's report card." After doing some research, Wahyu reached out to one of the local firefighters, Ade Bhakti Ariawan, on Instagram, asking him to pick up his report card. Wahyu was surprised to not only receive a reply, but Mr Ariawan also agreed to pick up a report card for his younger brother, Alfian. The local fire department shared the story on Instagram and the act of kindness quickly went viral online, with many praising the firefighter's compassion and humanity. In an interview with local media, Mr Ariawan said firefighters should serve and help people wherever possible. "As long as it's doable, why not?" he said. "It's about humanity." On a different Indonesian island, in South Lampung, firefighter Rully Satrya also received a request to collect a report card for a year 10 student, Meyva Azzahra. "Her father remarried and went away. Her mother is a migrant worker overseas," Mr Satrya told the ABC. "The only family left is her elderly grandmother who can't walk far." Without anyone else who could help, Mr Satrya collected her card. Mr Satrya said although picking up report cards was not part of his job, his team tried to help in cases like this because "compassion matters most". "Some people in the community might ask, 'What happens if a fire breaks out while a firefighter is out collecting a student's report card?' and concerned that our core duties might be neglected," Mr Satrya said. "There's no need to worry as we've carefully considered these situations, and there is always a team on stand-by to carry out our primary responsibilities." Aside from helping school students, other requests to firefighters in Indonesia range from serious to bizarre. Mr Ariawan told local media that his fire department unit was receiving an increasing number of unusual requests. "Just yesterday, someone needed help removing a ring from their genitals," he told Tribun News. Firefighters have also often been called to catch wild animals like snakes, crocodiles, or lizards, in residential areas. But lately, Mr Satrya said the requests have become more "bizarre". "We've been asked to drive out ghosts from homes, fix leaking roofs … you name it," Mr Satrya said. Local media have also reported incidents where residents in Sumatra and East Java have contacted firefighters to assist with banishing what they believed to be ghosts from their homes. In another case this year near Jakarta, a student who had just broken up with her boyfriend asked firefighters to celebrate her birthday with her at the fire station. In Bekasi, 25 kilometres from Jakarta, a woman reported domestic violence to the local fire service out of frustration and desperation because her initial report to police had not been followed up. The next day police arrested the male perpetrator, in a case widely reported on by local media. Last year, in Central Borneo, residents contacted the fire department when a suspected burglary was underway at a local school. The firefighters caught the thief and turned him in. Public policy expert Adinda Tenriangke Muchtar, from The Indonesian Institute, said the public's growing reliance on firefighters for non-emergency tasks highlighted a problem. "There's a communication issue as people don't clearly understand the roles of public service institutions," Dr Muchtar told the ABC. She urged the Indonesian government, media, and public services to better educate citizens on where and when to seek help. Dr Muchtar said the public viewed the fire service as "low-hanging fruit" because they were easy to contact and requests did not involve paperwork or costs. She said the call-outs from students needing help with collecting their report cards showed there was a failure in the social support network. "There should have been concern from community around the children," she said, adding schools should provide alternatives for students in special circumstances. Dr Muchtar said fire services should not feel obligated to respond to all requests. She said fire services should guide people toward appropriate services. "You might say, 'Please contact social services for this matter,' or 'Let us connect you with them and they'll reach out shortly.' That would be much more constructive," she said. "If every public service institution fulfilled its proper role … then over time, people would naturally learn, 'This is what fire departments do, this is the function of social services,' and so on." Dr Muchtar said while some people trusted fire services more than other institutions like the police force, putting too much responsibility on firefighters could mean other services were underused. "This phenomenon should serve as a prompt for institutional evaluation, not merely a celebration of the fire brigade's responsiveness." Wahyu, while thankful for help, understands that collecting report cards is not part of a firefighter's remit. "I know their job is to put out fires and perform rescues," he said. "So next year I'll try to find someone else first again. The fire department will only be my last resort."
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
900 teachers undergo training to integrate tech in classroom
Panaji: With around 65,000 students in 430 schools being taught coding and robotics in Goa under the chief minister's coding and robotics education in schools scheme, or CM-CARES, and another 8,000 students studying the advanced curriculum, efforts are on to ensure that school teachers remain updated with the latest tech. The project management unit (PMU) at the directorate of technical education recently trained around 900 school teachers across Goa, calling it 'Summanacho Melavo'. A unique feature of the training was on-the-spot evaluation and continued training till teachers attained proficiency. 'The model followed a cascading approach. Resource persons trained master trainers, who in turn mentored more than 900 school teachers. Training sessions included self-study modules, hands-on workshops, project-based learning and regular fortnightly hand-holding sessions — ensuring continuous upskilling rather than one-time orientation,' said Vijay Borges , project director of the special cell of PMU. These fortnightly sessions were conducted in schools from 8.30am to 1.30pm. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Jawa Tengah: AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Aroun... Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo 'The PMU shared the learning module in the morning, after which teachers engaged in peer learning and were required to attempt an assessment by 1.30pm. In the backend, the PMU evaluated the submissions and shared results. If any teacher scored below 85%, they were given an additional 3-4 days to revise concepts or clarify doubts with peers,' Borges said. Subsequently, they had to reattempt the next set of tests until they achieved the required 85% proficiency. 'From the academic year 2021-22 to 2024-25, over 12,000 hours of training have been invested statewide. Teachers from varying educational backgrounds were introduced to cutting-edge tools like Linux Mint OS, Scratch, KOJO, Blender and Sonic Pi and were empowered to integrate computational thinking and design-based learning into their classrooms with the edutech support of PRERNA and PMU-developed educational management system (EMS),' Borges said.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
GTA V gets a jaw-dropping visual upgrade with this free mod, launching May 15
Image by Razed in the official mod Discord Grand Theft Auto V is set for a major overhaul, and the good news? It won't cost you a penny. A completely new version of the hit NaturalVision mod, called NaturalVision Enhanced , is releasing on May 15 and guarantees to take GTA V Enhanced's PC graphics to an entirely new level. With next-generation ray tracing and breathtaking lighting enhancements, the game is set to appear more realistic than it ever has before. NaturalVision Enhanced brings next-generation graphics to GTA V for free — videotechuk_ (@videotechuk_) The much-awaited NaturalVision Enhanced mod by Razed takes the ray tracing features added in the recent PC release of GTA V Enhanced to a new level. Rockstar's implementation already brought about ray traced global illumination and ambient occlusion, but this mod takes it to the next level. It brings volumetric clouds, a rebuilt lighting system, and even opens up hidden shadow rendering capabilities that were not switched on in the vanilla game. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Jawa Tengah: AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Aroun... Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Razed found that NaturalVision Enhanced took unused visual capabilities of GTA V Enhanced where all lighting sources can create more shadows. It is this extra feature that NaturalVision Enhanced turns on, bringing better depth and realism to everything from skyscrapers to street-level detail. The light adaptation system has also been revamped, performing well across the full map and weather conditions. Players will be able to access an in-game menu that allows them to switch the enhanced RTGI (ray traced global illumination) and RTAO (ray traced ambient occlusion) on and off in real time. You can even turn up the intensity of night-time RTGI effects for more extreme nighttime visuals. Release date, availability, and support for older versions NaturalVision Enhanced will be fully free to download and play. The release date is slated for May 15, and it will be compatible with the GTA V Enhanced PC version, now also on PC Game Pass. A trailer is in the process of being created to highlight the new visuals in action, and Razed has already posted several jaw-dropping screenshots and sliders on Discord. For those who are still playing GTA V Legacy on PC, there's also some good news: the original NaturalVision Evolved mod will keep on updating, with the latest being issued only last March. NaturalVision Enhanced is not merely a mod but an outright visual transformation that can compare to official remasters. Coming with a free launch on May 15 and seamless compatibility with PC Game Pass, this is an absolute must-play for any GTA V enthusiast who wants to see the game at its graphical best. Also Read: Did a GTA 6 screenshot sneak into San Andreas definitive edition?
