At that time the political conditions in the country had not shown stability, the war for independence was still raging. War of course brings social casualties to civilians who do not understand politics. The social impacts that are felt are hunger, poverty, crime, and social decline. As a result, this has an impact on the lives of the children, they become orphans. In order to survive they had to take to the streets. Behind the political ambitions of the Dutch people who wanted to control their colony, it turned out that there were missionaries who wanted to get away from the problem. They work in the social field as apostolate. One of the missionaries who worked is Mgr. Wilekens, Vicar Apostolic of Batavia.
Orphaned street children and war victims need protection. Thus on 30 June 1947 the Desa Poetra was established, as their home. As the manager, it was handed over to the Budi Mulia Congregation and the Vincentius Association, with Br. Corbinianus and Br. Matteus. As a means of supporting education for them, this year the Desa Poetra School was established. Not only for the children of Desa Poetra, the surrounding community can also enjoy these facilities. To meet the advanced level after graduating from People's School, Br. Juvenalis founded SGB with a total of 15 students in the first year. In 1960, there was a change in the school system in Indonesia, so the SGB was changed to SMP Desa Putera without losing subsidies from the government.
To increase the skills of the orphanage students, they began to be taught bookbinding business by Br. Basilides, and the business continued to grow with the addition of a few small printing machines ( handpress ). Initially only 12 people were trained to study the larger field of binding and printing. Efforts in that direction were intensified by bringing in experts from the Netherlands and also catak machines in 1967.
In 1968, the government obtained permission to establish a Graphic School. Graphic Engineering School (junior high school level) was started without machines, because sending the machines took a long time. As the principal of ST Grafika, the first was held by Brother Janssen.
To accommodate advanced education after graduating from ST Grafika, on January 1, 1970, STM Grafika Desa Putera was established. On April 11, 1972 the graphics school obtained a license and was inaugurated as the Putera Village Graphic Secondary Engineering School with Br. J.B. Janssens as Principal. The inauguration was held on Tuesday 11 April 1972 which was attended by the Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta, the Dutch Ambassador, Mrs. Johana A. H. Nasution, Deputy Bishop of Jakarta. Meanwhile, Mrs. Liestinah Mashuri, wife of the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia. In addition, the event was also attended by the director of the Graphic Company in Jakarta. This school is open to the public, not only children in the orphanage. Finally, the Graphic School was established in Desa Putera
The current development of the times continues to bring change and progress for the better. School infrastructure facilities continue to be built and equipped. Machines began to be imported from the Netherlands and Germany for student practice purposes gradually. The first stage on April 17, 1965 came the Degelpress Engine, however, the machines were not available until January 22, 1971.
In accordance with government regulations in the field of education, in 1985 the name STM Grafika Desa Putera was changed to become the Junior High School for Graphic Engineering in Desa Putera. Additions to learning facilities and building construction continue to be carried out more magnificently, better, and in line with technological developments. The new building was inaugurated on 23 July 1993 by Mr. Willi Laluyan, Director of Press and Graphic Development of the Ministry of Information, which occupies the former Putera Village Elementary School which was moved to the north side of the large square.
On that occasion the Graphic Training Center (GTC) was also inaugurated with its director, Ir. Saan Ashari. The institution was founded inspired by similar institutions in the Netherlands, with the aim of providing graphics education and training for the wider community.
Following government policies in the field of vocational education in 1997, SMT Grafika Desa Putera changed its name to Vocational High School Grafika Desa Putera. The hard work towards a better direction continues to be carried out and developed by Br. Martin Dol. As long as he led the village of Putera printing as a school production unit with the demands of the times. This was done to maintain the quality that has been recognized by the community.
Accreditations in September 2006, 2011 and 2016 resulted in maximum achievement and recognition from the government. Officially in December 2006 the predicate "Accredited A" was given by the DKI Jakarta School Accreditation Board. To keep up with the development of the digital world in the millennial era, in 2020 the opening of the Multimedia Study Program was initiated. The existence and quality that is continuously maintained requires patience, tenacity, and a long struggle, so that more and more achievements are made. Many of the industrialized world has come to look for workers, not only from within the country but also from abroad such as countries in ASEAN, the Middle East and Europe. It does not stop there, SMK Grafika Desa Putera is a learning resource for many graphic schools that will be established, even though they are still in the process of self-development. Student affairs also gain many achievements in the fields of sports, scientific work, and cultural arts.
The alumni of SMK Grafika Desa Putera are spread all over the country, working in various sectors, and of course in the most dominant field of graphics.
Sampai saat ini, SMK Grafika Desa Putera telah dipimpin oleh 8 Kepala Sekolah, yaitu: Br. J.B. Janssens (1970-1980), Br. S.A. Ginting (1980-1983), Drs. Frans Soedjiwo (1983-1984), Bapak Mashuri, B.Sc. (1984-1998), Bapak Matheus Nalih, A.Md.Graf., S.Pd. (1998-2001), Bapak Kardy Matheus, S.Sn., M.Pd. (2001-2004), Bapak Drs. Mateus Sumadiyono (2004-2019) dan Bapak Paulus Danar Mujiarto, S.Pd. ( 2019-sekarang).
Dengan jumlah guru 19 orang, 29 orang instruktur praktik, dan 5 orang karyawan. Hitungan tersebut masih di luar karyawan Percetakan Desa Putera sebagai Unit Produksi dan Laboratorium Praktik SMK Grafika Desa Putera. Hembusan angin segar seiring dengan perputaran mesin cetak tetap terasa di bumi Desa Putera. Sampai saat ini SMK Grafika Desa Putera tetap setia menghasilkan tenaga grafika potensial dan kompeten.
Cipt : Br. Rein Sihura BM.
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