(A Part of) the Work of the Education and Culture Minister

Welcome to the youngest education minister in the history of the Republic of Indonesia. The young face that is expected to make a breakthrough in the world of education is a very bold step by President Jokowi. Nadiem Makarim is better known for Go-Jek.

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Sri Mulyani, Nadiem Makarim and Retno LP Marsudi pose for a photograph shortly before being sworn in as ministers by President Joko Widodo at the State Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (23/10/2019). Nadiem is the youngest education minister in the history of the Republic of Indonesia.

Age does not limit maturity and depth of thought. Ki Hadjar Dewantara founded Taman Siswa in 1922 at the age of 33. He was wise beyond his years.

His encouragement of freedom of thought ("teachers need to encourage their students to find answers and sources of learning by themselves") or his famous slogan "ingarsa sung tulada, ing madya develop karsa, tut wuri handayani", which means “Provide a model; create a goal; and provide constructive support” is very much in line with various current educational theories. Even, tut wuri handayani, the last of the three parts of the learning process, has been included in the education ministry logo since 1977.

Whoever the minister needs to have the ability to understand and manage the diversity of the situation.

Challenges from various sides

Indonesia\'s education system faces great challenges from various sides. So complex is the situation that it can be said, whoever the minister needs to have the ability to understand and manage the diversity of the situation. Relying only on a minister to make changes is not enough, but we can expect the minister to start his job by showing his ability to listen and desire to learn. Perhaps that is where the strength of the young man, as we have heard, will be carried out by the new minister in his first 100 days in office.

Law No. 20/2003 concerning the national education system can actually be used as a guide for all stakeholders in education. The law, which reads, "Education is carried out in a democratic and fair manner and is not discriminatory by upholding human rights, religious values, cultural values, and national diversity", should be the foundation of all policies and implementation of the learning process. Various things can be overcome if stakeholders understand the importance of the key words of the paragraph.

From the meeting of the Cahaya Guru Foundation with various educational communities, both school principals, teachers, school committees and education institutions for educators, it turns out that the article and especially the paragraph is not known at all. In fact, think about the dynamics that occur when educational providers uphold religious values (not just religions, let alone certain religions) and cultural values (which means, being able to understand various points of view of the results of cultural understanding, or the diversity of the nation that means in schools), then at least any difference will be seen as environmental wealth so that it is "celebrated" in various ways.

The meeting spaces

It is time for the Education and Culture Ministry to encourage every education provider to create as many meeting spaces as possible using various approaches.

School as meeting spaces for various backgrounds will prepare children to meet their future. Those who are comfortable in diversity will certainly have an easier time communicating, cooperating and thinking critically and using their creativiy. Those are the four competencies students need to meet. The future requires awareness to move forward together.

Diversity should be reflected in the various derived policies, particularly Article 4 Paragraph 1 of the above-mentioned National Education System Law. Speaking about derivatives, its implementation certainly needs to involve the National Education Standards Agency and the National Accreditation Board. To what extent the principle of implementing education is really seen as a principle can be comprehended from the expected profile of graduates, indicators of school accreditation, and assessment of teacher performance.

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

This elementary school, built by the local community in the village of Sabuai in Siwalalat district, Eastern Seram regency, Maluku, has 30 students as of Monday (5/11/2018). After getting tired of waiting for funding from the local government, residents decided to build the school themselves to help their children achieve their dreams.

The emphasis on the teacher\'s task should be in line with the position to take side on understanding about the existence of challenges that are very different between one school and the other. Efforts to generalize, for whatever reason, can be a waste of energy. Finding good practices in the environment is a strategic step. Not only as a reinforcement of the actors, but also to inspire others.

Promote good practices

Promoting good practices that are scattered in regions, even in remote areas, will become a stimulant for the hope that the teachers have done their job appropriately. To be able to do that, all related officials need to have the ability to hear, think in silence, be honest and critical, even to themselves.

Three educational centers, which were called by Ki Hadjar Dewantara as "the realm of education, the realm of family, and the realm of the youth movement", are worth pursuing. Nature is a terminology that implies breadth. The keyword "mutual cooperation", was said on the first day by the new minister at the Education and Culture Ministry. It could be clearly caught that the involvement of all stakeholders is seen as very important.

KOMPAS/AYU PRATIWI

Henny Supolo

However, to be able to involve various stakeholders, all ministry officials (and their "subordinates") need to live a democratic, fair and non-discriminatory attitude as outlined in the principles of education above.

The Education and Culture Ministry is the largest education provider in the country, isn’t?

Henny Supolo Sitepu, Cahaya Guru Foundation.