The Impact of Government Policies towards the Economy and Education of Fishermen’s Children in Padang City

This study aimed at analyzing the impact of government policies towards the economy and education of fishermen's children of Minangkabau and Nias ethnics in Padang City. This study used the qualitative method with a case study approach. The main data sources were gathered from structured interview to eight fisherman families and were analyzed thematically using NVivo 10 software as the qualitative analysis instrument. The result of the study discussed four essential themes namely; first, the government policies towards the fisherman had been capable of improving their economy both Minangkabau and Nias ethnics. Second, the economic improvement for Minangkabau ethnics had an impact towards their life proven by the increasing quality of their children's education from the primary level until the higher education level. Third, the economic improvement for Nias ethnics, on the other hand, had no impact at all towards their children's education quality. Fourth, the impact differences regarding the children's education of both ethnics were caused by culture, parents' mindset, and children's' interest in education. According to parents and fishermen’s children of Minangkabau ethnic, education matters a lot for the sake of pursuing a brighter future, while according to parents and fishermen’s children of Nias ethnic, education does not really matter.