The Resource-Rich Region Paradox: Education Gaps and Local Employment Opportunities in Teluk Bintuni Regency

Abstract

Teluk Bintuni Regency in West Papua ranks among Indonesia’s richest regions by gross regional domestic product (GRDP) per capita, yet a quarter of its population is poor. This study examines how education gaps shape local people’s access to employment in an economy dominated by the Tangguh liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. It uses a qualitative case study based on document analysis of official statistics for 2023–2025, regional government documents, an independent panel report on Tangguh, special autonomy regulations, and published field studies, cross-checked through source triangulation. Three linked findings emerge. First, GRDP per capita of IDR 574.98 million in 2024, about seven times the national figure, coexists with a poverty rate of 25.34 percent in 2025. Second, mean years of schooling are 8.77 years and about 7 percent of residents hold post-secondary qualifications, whereas long-term LNG jobs number fewer than 2,000 and require certified skills. Third, oil and gas revenue earmarked for education has not yet been converted into educational capability. These relationships are associations rather than causal estimates, and the data are not disaggregated by tribe. The study contributes a three-layer framework linking enclave production, educational capability, and fiscal governance, from which policy directions are derived.