The New Era of Education

Kompas/Hendra A Setyawan

A student of SD Al Azhar 15 elementary school in Pamulang, South Tangerang, Banten, studies at home to comply with the government’s study-at-home policy to curb the spread of Covid-19 on Tuesday (17/3/2020). Teachers use the Google Classroom app for online teaching and the Zoom Cloud app for teleconferences. Advanced technology is helping people deal with emergency situations, such as the Covid-19 outbreak. Online school lasts from 7:30 a.m. through 1:30 p.m.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Indonesia to implement a learning system using internet technology, and it may just be the first step in a new era of education.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS— National Education Day was celebrated on 2 May, 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. To halt the spread of the disease, the Education and Culture Ministry has implemented an online learning system in schools. This momentum can be used to accelerate the process of entering a new era of education in the country.

Reports from a number of regions in the archipelago indicate that the online learning system (PJJ) cannot be implemented optimally, especially in remote areas with limited technology and internet connectivity. Poor school infrastructure and a lack of qualification on the part of teachers in online teaching as well as a lack of access to reliable smartphones to run online learning apps are among the problems hampering the switch to online learning.

Read also: Effectiveness of Learning at Home

Despite the many limitations, schools have implemented the online learning system, with various adjustments. For example, at the SMA 9 state senior high school in Yogyakarta, the teachers had to reduce the materials of the 2013 curriculum, said Jumadi, the school’s principal.

The number of subjects to be taught was reduced to three from the normal nine to 10 subjects. The school day was shortened to five hours from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. "After the school hours, the teaching process is handed over to the parents," he said when contacted on Friday.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

A second grader of SD Al Bayan Islamic elementary school in Tangerang, Banten, does schoolwork at his home on Tuesday (17/3/2020). Students from elementary to high schools in Greater Jakarta and other provinces of Indonesia have to study at home after the regional administrations closed school buildings to curb the spread of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. Teachers and students are making use of smartphone apps to keep schools running throughout the stay-at-home period, making use of smartphone apps for online teaching.

Curriculum adjustment

Faced with that reality, the government needs to develop a new curriculum to fit the challenges of the learning and teaching process during the COVID-19 pandemic, which would likely take a long time. This step needs to be taken immediately, because some schools still refer to the 2013 curriculum target despite the change in the situation.

A survey of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) and the Federation of Indonesian Teachers Unions (FSGI) shows that most teachers use a standard curriculum. Fifty-three percent of the 602 teachers responding said they would complete the curriculum targets according to plan. Only 22.6 percent said they had no intention to implement the curriculum as initially targeted.

In addition, many teachers still taught according to the normal schedule (28.9 percent). Some teachers simply gave assignments to students (29.6 percent), such as from student textbooks or worksheets.

The letter, among other things, says online learning is intended to provide a meaningful learning experience for students without being burdened with the requirement to meet the curriculum targets for grades or graduation.

The survey findings deviate from the spirit of Education and Culture Circular Minister Letter No. 4 of 2020. The letter, among other things, says online learning is intended to provide a meaningful learning experience for students without being burdened with the requirement to meet the curriculum targets for grades or graduation.

"The 2013 curriculum is unfit to meet the challenges posed by the current circumstances. We want the 2013 curriculum to be revised, "said FSGI deputy secretary-general Satriwan Salim.

KOMPAS/EDDY HASBY

A postgraduate student of a Jakarta-based university attends an online lecture at her house in Depok, West Java, on Monday (27/04/2020).

The revision should, among other things, reduce the number of subjects. On normal days, teachers have the opportunity to hold longer meetings with their students. However, in online learning, the duration of meetings should be reduced. Thus, materials from subjects under the same ‘family’ can be integrated and taught simultaneously.

The same idea was expressed by KPAI commissioner Retno Listyarti. The curriculum now needed to be assessed to find parts that were important and had to be fulfilled. Online learning should focus more on materials that were important, so that the burden of teachers and students could be reduced. "Don\'t overwhelm children with a heavy curriculum," he said.

Educational sociology researcher at population research center at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Anggi Afri ansyah, also said there had to be flexibility in the implementation of the curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Even on normal days, the 2013 curriculum cannot be implemented optimally, such in the 3T areas (lagging, outermost, frontier), and all the more so in the current situation," he said.

New era

The chairman of the Smart Learning and Character Center of the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI), Richardus Eko Indrajit, said the PGRI was improving teacher capability and literacy so that they would be ready to enter the digital technology era. One of the training concepts being developed was cyber pedagogy.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

A second grader of the Al Bayan Islamic elementary school takes his final exam online from home on Wednesday (29/4/2020) in Tangerang, Banten. The final exam was conducted online because of the government’s Covid-19 social restriction period, which has been extended to 1 June 2020.

"Digital technology can form a convergence between formal, nonformal and informal education, so each country must be able to adapt. After the pandemic ends, there will be a new normal. For example, the role of information technology in the world of education will be greater, "he said.

The secretary of the Indonesian Teachers Association (IGI) in Bali, Margiyanto, said online learning during the pandemic encouraged the teachers to adapt to technology. Teachers who are members of IGI were now pushing for the implementation of the learning models based on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics).

There were a lot of technological solutions to support learning activities, but teachers and schools were accustomed to face-to-face models.

The head of curriculum of the NUADU platform, Frahel Theodora, while attending the virtual discussion "Pintek EduTalk" in Jakarta on Thursday (30/4), said the ability to rise to the challenge of digital transformation in education depended on the mental development of human resources. There were a lot of technological solutions to support learning activities, but teachers and schools were accustomed to face-to-face models. "Some teachers cannot use technology," Frahel said.

Another challenge is the availability of funds and internet infrastructure. The problem occurred at home and abroad.

Kompas/Priyombodo

Deden looks at pictures of national heroes as he plays at the SD Gunung 01 state elementary school in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, on Friday (1/5/2020). Some children chose to play at nearby schools because they are too bored to play and study at home during the Covid-19 outbreak. The Education and Culture Ministry stated in a press release that the theme for National Educational Day on 2 May 2020 was “Learning from Covid-19”. The ministry told all education institutions, from the center to the regions and embassies overseas not to organize National Education Day celebrations or create public gatherings.

The acting head of the curriculum and book center at the Education and Culture Ministry, Awaluddin Tjall, said teachers and school principals needed to arrange daily and weekly learning programs. The programs needed to include a strategy to distribute learning materials through various media.