Powerful Legacy of Great Women
The powerful legacy of great Indonesian women lives on to this moment. It keeps living to give life to the spirit of the people of today.
There are not many empty desks in the classroom of grade 2 at SD Dewi Sartika elementary school in West Java on Tuesday (18/4). Five chairs and desks along with a bookshelf fill the 3-meter by 3-meter room. On the wall hangs a picture of national hero Raden Dewi Sartika.
Even though the room feels small, that does not dampen the enthusiasm of its eight students.
“If there is a friend with a different religion who wants to pray, should we ask them to play or not?” asks Widia Supiandi, a teacher of the second grade.
“Pray first and then play,” said Nayla Fatimah, 10, from a desk at the back.
Widia was impressed with the answer. Nayla also answered other questions correctly. Her intelligence overcomes a physical limitation in her legs that she has had to live with since she was born.
“SD Dewi Sartika is an inclusive school. Almost 50 percent of students here are children with disabilities. In this class alone, of its eight students six of them are disabled,” Widia said.
Widia said that she does not encounter too many challenges other than adjusting different lesson materials for different students. Students with disabilities can do the same things as normal students, but in a different way.
Yuliani, 37, Nayla’s mother, said that she had been rejected by two state elementary schools and eventually chose to enroll her child in SD Dewi Sartika so that she could still gain an education. The patience of the teachers there improves the brightness and confidence of the children.
“An example is the physical education class. Nayla was allowed to not carry out the physical tests. As a replacement, she was given a written test,” she said.
When her confidence rises, Nayla is able to dream. She wants to be an obstetrician.
Inspired by Dewi Sartika
Nayla’s dream is the fruit of a spirit that had been planted long ago by the pioneer, Raden Dewi Sartika. In 1904, in the same building, she founded the Wife School. The students were all women of all social classes and backgrounds. Now, 113 years on, the spirit still lives on in the school as SD Dewi Sartika has established itself as an inclusive school. All the students, regardless of their condition, are given the same education.
“As Dewi Sartika wanted, this school is a home for anyone who wants to seek knowledge,” Widia said.
Located only two kilometers away from SD Dewi Sartika, the old house of Inggit Ganarsih (wife of former president Soekarno), in the Ciateul area of Bandung has a similar mission. Spearheaded by the Balad Sri Baduga community, the independence and creativity of Inggit has been nurtured and put into action even to this moment.
“Inggit played a big role in helping Soekarno make this nation great,” said Balad Sri Baduga coordinator Lely Mei.
Through the ngariung (gathering) activity, for example, Balad Sri Baduga members help children around Ciateul to study together every Sunday afternoon. The topics of discussion vary from school subjects to general knowledge and talking about the books that are kept in the library.
Another example is training people to make jamu (herbal beverages). The training was inspired by Inggit’s creativity in helping fund Soekarno’s life and education in Bandung, as well as paying for the expenses when the nation’s founding fathers such as Syahrir, Agus Salim, MH Thamrin and Mohammad Hatta were in discussions with her husband.
“If Inggit’s jamu played a role in helping Indonesia achieve independence, the healthy jamu produced in the training sessions may at least alleviate the cost of the health care of the participants. The independence and creativity of Inggit is too valuable to forget,” he said.
Getting inspired
A similar effort to remember the legacy left by great women is also being done in Garut regency. On April 10, the legacy of Raden Ayu Lasminingrat was commemorated in the yard of SD Regol 07 Garut elementary school. There, Lasminingrat founded Sakolah Kautamaan Istri (the Wife Virtue School) for the women of Garut about 110 years ago.
“At the time, she was one of the few Indonesian women who was actively writing books and translating foreign books. It is highly possible that Lasminingrat was the country’s first-ever female intellectual,” said Elang Kinasih, 29, an academic from Garut who studied in Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistics University in Russia.
Lasminingrat’s influence lives on inside of Akmala Hadita, 48, a Garut University lecturer, who was present at the event. Akmala, who is originally from Garut, is the first blind woman in Indonesia to earn a doctoral degree.
“Hopefully Lasminingrat’s struggle and my struggle can inspire lots of people to not easily give up,” Akmala said.
Akmala is not alone. In Bandung, Dian Erlangga, 31, has been successful in overcoming the boundaries of limitations. The fashion lessons she was taught at SMP Dewi Sartika junior high school were her main capital for opening up the Erlangga boutique, which accepts orders for wedding outfits.
“If I didn’t go to school there, it would not be like this,” said Dian, a hearing impaired woman who communicates by making sounds and with minimal sign language.
The business she started 11 years ago continues to grow. In a year, she makes 10 to 15 dresses priced at Rp 5 million to Rp 8 million each. On several occasions, Dian’s work made it into wedding fashion shows. “Getting into SMP Dewi Sartika was a blessing. There I was introduced to fashion,” Dian said.
SMP Dewi Sartika headmaster Atik Kurniasih said that fashion was a local content teaching material that the school has continued with. When Sakola Istri was founded, sewing was one of the main lessons for its students.
The results were pleasing. Many of SMP Dewi Sartika graduates have become the best when they go into the world of business or pursue higher education. Dian is a real-life example.
Success has not made Dian forget to give back. She often exchanges knowledge with other people with hearing impairments when working. She is aware that their independence depends on many parties.
“I will not forget the help of many people like the teachers at SMP Dewi Sartika. Like Ibu Dewi Sartika, they were willing to share without looking at shortcomings or differences,” Dian said.