Maintain Continuity of National Education Policy

Sustainability of education policy needs to be sustainable even if there is a change in leadership.

KOMPAS?ESTER LINCE NAPITUPULU

Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Nadiem Anwar Makarim took a photo with students, parents, and teachers who are members of various educational communities at the Community Forum and National Meeting of the Smart Indonesia Card for 2024 College event in Jakarta on Thursday (2/5/2024). This event is part of the commemoration of National Education Day in 2024.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - Education is a long-term and strategic process that requires consistency. Therefore, the upcoming replacement of the education minister needs to prioritize continuity in national education policies and must not be disrupted.

The continuity of national education policy is important because currently Indonesia is facing the challenge of increasing the human resource index in the human development index (HDI).

So far, the Indonesian Index is still lagging behind other Southeast Asian countries, resulting in the nation's competitiveness level being below average. Even in terms of intelligence, Indonesia is still hindered in reaching the expected position.

"Indonesia's national education is not yet equivalent to other countries. "The task of national education policy formulators is to improve the quality of education so that it is superior and sustainable," said General Chairman of the Muhammadiyah Central Leadership Haedar Nashir, in a press statement on the commemoration of National Education Day, Thursday (2/ 5/2024).

Also read: Indonesia Still Faces Challenges in Education Quality

Haedar emphasizes the need for policy makers in education to seriously build a holistic education, not only prioritizing academic and technical aspects, but also emphasizing the development of strong soul and character for the future generation of the nation.

"Only with a comprehensive approach can Indonesia produce highly competitive individuals who make meaningful contributions in building a better nation," said Haedar.

According to the Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Nadiem Anwar Makarim in the 2024 Community Discussion and National Meeting for Smart Indonesian College Cards, in the last five years the transformation of education has been carried out through the Freedom to Learn policy. The results are starting to be felt by students, educators, parents and the community. Therefore, the sustainability of Merdeka Belajar must continue to be pursued.

"Free Learning is meaningless without support from the community. We want Free Learning to become a community and societal movement so that the government and regional government have a commitment to continue it," he said.

Only with a comprehensive approach, Indonesia can produce highly competitive individuals who have a significant contribution in building a better nation.

According to Nadiem, initially Merdeka Belajar was not well understood. Now, its impact is being felt with enjoyable learning activities taking place in classrooms. The driving teachers and agents of change for Merdeka Belajar in various regions are expected to embody the spirit of Merdeka Belajar for holistic and sustainable education transformation in support of Indonesia's progress.

"My hope is that the community and society will demand the continuation of Merdeka Belajar," stressed Nadiem.

Build character

Not only focusing on policy and educational structure, Haedar also reminds us of the importance of building an Indonesian generation with strong spirit and character. Therefore, national education should not just be a factory that produces "robotic" workers who lack spirit and intellect. Education should not produce mechanical individuals who lack depth of soul.

"Building Indonesia through education must involve the mind and body. National education cannot ignore the values of Pancasila, religion, and the noble culture of the nation," emphasized Haedar.

Also read: Don't Ignore Character Education

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

The problem of air pollution is not new. The condition of the community threatened by air pollution has long been occurring. There is no shortage of research evidence indicating the threats from the impact of air pollution. However, this has yet to push for significant efforts in controlling air pollution. As a result, residents are increasingly suffering under the weight of air pollution. Primary school students from SDN 07 Ujung Menteng in East Jakarta practiced dance as an implementation of character building in the Independent Learning Curriculum on Friday (May 12, 2023). The school implements the Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project (P5) with various interesting theme activities, including getting to know their respective regional cultures, such as practicing traditional dances.

According to Haedar, education in Indonesia should produce individuals who are strong in their religiosity, rooted in faith and piety, with noble character, knowledgeable, skilled in technology, and have expertise in various fields. They are also expected to be socially conscious individuals, capable of living in harmony and contributing to the progress of society.

Member of the DPR Commission X, Ferdiansyah, emphasizes that education is the key to the future prosperity of the nation. Education opens the window to the world, the true meaning of education is not just a degree, but how a person can become useful for themselves, the nation, and the country, as well as being able to implement knowledge for the progress of the nation in the future.

According to Ferdiansyah, education must be a process of humanizing humans in an effort to improve intelligence. Therefore, the education that should be developed is one that can instill cultural values and shape positive character in every citizen.

"So the result of education is to make us have better ways of thinking and acting, as well as paying attention to ethics in nation and state life," says Ferdiansyah.

The role of the private sector

Haedar reminds education policy makers to strengthen collaboration between the public and private sectors in improving the quality of national education. This is because the private sector also plays an important role in the development of education in Indonesia, especially those based on religious social movements.

This includes, among others, institutions such as Muhammadiyah, Nahdlatul Ulama, and Taman Siswa that have a long history of providing significant contributions to national education and struggle for independence.

"Only by working together, Indonesia can build an inclusive and equal education system, as well as promote educational progress for future generations," said Haedar.

Also read: Private Schools Are Not a Threat

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Hundreds of private school teachers and principals who are members of the Private Education Consultative Body of Surabaya and the Working Meeting of Private Middle School Principals in Surabaya held a protest in front of the Surabaya Mayor's Office on Tuesday (2/7/2019). They consider the policy of increasing quotas for public schools up to 4,000 seats in new student admissions (PPDB) to be detrimental to private schools.

According to Haedar, it would be naive if there were ideas in formulating national education policies that marginalize the role of community and religious private sectors. By opposing public and private sectors in education, it only hinders efforts to develop education holistically. "Policy makers should be integrative and proportional," Haedar emphasized.