Education Mental Revolution
Children, soldiers of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and members of the National Police perform the Gemu Fa Mi Re dance during the opening ceremony of Mental Revolution Real Work Week at Manahan Stadium in Surakarta, Central Java, on Friday (25/8). The mental revolution national movement has been carried out by the government, among others, through public services.
“Mental revolution” has become a key phrase for the government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla to transform the Indonesian nation. In the field of education, the mental revolution has been strengthened through Presidential Regulation No.87/2017 and the Strengthening of Character Building Education.
However, the implementation of the presidential regulation and issues that have emerge need to be discussed more thoroughly.
Five progresses
There are five major progresses on the strengthening of the character building education (PPK). First, PPK returns the thinking of Ki Hajar Dewantara to the national education house. The presidential regulation defines PPK as “an education movement under the responsibility of education units to strengthen the characters of students through the harmonization of olah hati [ethics], olah rasa [aesthetics], olah pikir [literacy] and olah raga [sports] through involvement and cooperation among educators, families and communities as a part of the national Mental Revolution movement” (Article 1 Paragraph 1).
This definition explicitly says that the responsibility of the development of PPK is lies with educators. The guarantor of PPK at school is the headmaster. More than that, PPK can also be realized in the framework of forming the Indonesian spirit, which involves the harmonization of olah hati, olah rasa, olah pikir and olah raga. Though this harmonization, of course, we hope that our education will give birth to individuals who can develop all human potentials in the four sense processing spheres, which become the important basis of education.
The collaboration between the school, the home and the community reflects Ki Hadjar Dewantara\'s three-center education concept. With advancements in technology and the spread of information, which has turned the world flat, communication happens across borders and dependence between countries cannot be neglected, PPK anticipates this in its final concept, namely building and preparing the students to be able to face the dynamism of changes in the future (Article 1, Point a)
Second, the objective of PPK is described more clearly, namely building and preparing the students to face dynamic changes in the future, making the national education and character-building education platform the main spirit in implementing education, along with the strengthening of educators.
An explanation of PPK objectives in Article 2 can help orient educators to develop the implementation of education fully, such as preparing the students with the needed skills in the 21st century, namely the capability to think critically and creatively to resolve problems and create new innovations. Schools also needs to develop the capability to communicate orally or in writing, cooperate in building a better world, strengthen the roles of teachers and parents/community in education, and appreciation of the values of local wisdom.
Third, the division of authority. PPK, which emphasizes the integrity of school-house-community collaboration, needs to introduce a clear definition of the executors and clear responsibilities across ministries. The presidential regulation on PPK opens relations between schools, other institutions and communities —including government institutions and civil society communities — in the framework of character building, but at the same time gives strict limitations on the authority of the ministries to formulate policies and implement PPK in the education unit under their authority. It means, with the presidential regulation, that each ministry is responsible for applying and supporting PPK in their respective units in line with its authority.
Article 13, which highlights the division of authority and responsibility of PPK, needs to be understood in the framework of the management of institutions, good administration and budgeting. This is to enable the education budget in many ministries to be used properly to support the implementation of PPK.
Fourth, the policy of school days. Even though PPK is not related directly to the policy of school days, apparently the government feels to have the need to regulate and explain about school days, which has become a debate in the community. The schools that have applied the five-day week can go ahead. If there are schools that want to execute the five-day week, they need to take into consideration several requirements, such the adequate availability of educators and education manpower, the availability of facilities and infrastructure, local wisdom and views of the community leaders or religious figures outside the school committees.
Fifth, PPK as a grand design of human and cultural development in Indonesia. By entrusting all the responsibility to the Office of Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister, the presidential regulation on PPK becomes a framework and grand design for human development in Indonesia. Therefore, each ministry as the executor of PPK needs to actively respond to the presidential regulation as an important part in the nation\'s character building.
Through articles that define the executors of the implementation of PPK (Chapter 3), each ministry, namely the Culture and Education Ministry and the Religious Affairs Ministry, is responsible for formulating policies for the implementation of PPK, carry out collaborations and evaluations, and build inter-ministry collaborations. This means that intensive inter-ministry communication is badly needed to prevent miscommunication in the implementation of PPK.
Priority of values
We need to appreciate the five progresses of the Presidential Regulation on PPK because this would provide relief to all parties that have thus far felt that their interest is not fully accommodated. However, besides the progress on concept, I also see there is one problem that may not be substantial, but can blur the implementation of PPK in the field, namely that the presidential regulation lacks the priority of values.
As a part of the mental revolution, the presidential regulation has not been able to show which values it wants to revolutionize through education institutions. Article 3 in the presidential regulation, which consists of 18 values, constitutes repetition of character and cultural building, and was released in 2010. For example, to enjoy reading, which is included in the 18 values, according to me, is not a value, but a hobby.
From my experience, the implementation of the 18 values is very confusing; there are too many and they are not focused. Actually, in the basic concept of PPK, which is developed by the Culture and Education Ministry, there are five main values for a mental revolution: religiosity, nationalism, self-reliance, cooperation and integrity. Unfortunately, the five priorities, which are easy to understand, are not included in the presidential regulation on PPK.
Possibly, what can become the most important note is the main value for PPK’s framing, namely the values of Pancasila. Article 3 emphasizes, "PPK is carried out by applying the values of Pancasila in character building education." So, the values mentioned in Article 3 is the interpretation of the values of Pancasila. The interpretation of the values of Pancasila of course is wider than just 18 values mentioned explicitly in Article 3.
PPK should have assumed that character building at school would improve with the values of Pancasila, which are taught and instilled in students. This means, outside the 18 values being discussed, education institutions can develop other values that are not contradictory to Pancasila, moral norms and human values.
A national movement, according to me, must haves that be applied to the whole of Indonesia as a part of the national mental revolution in the education institution. However, if the priority is not available and not regulated in the presidential regulation, there is still a solution, namely we hand over the authority to each ministry to decide the priority of values to implement PPK in their respective work environments.
Regardless of its shortcomings, I see the presidential regulation on PPK as an important role in the history of national education polices that can improve national education, return Ki Hajar Dewantara\'s education spirit and correct the distortion of education anthropology that has so far marred our education praxis.
DONI KOESOEMA A
Education observer and lecturer at Multimedia Nusantara University
