Students Unable to Answer General Knowledge Questions: Heading Towards 'Indonesia Emas' or 'Indonesia Cemas 2045'?

Since elementary school, we have been introduced to general knowledge that covers various fields such as history, science, culture, and more. The general knowledge learned is beneficial as it helps individuals broaden their horizons and prepare for the future. However, with the advancement of technology and information in today's era, basic understanding of general knowledge seems to be declining among the younger generation. This phenomenon raises the question: is Indonesia’s education system getting worse? Amid the hope for “Indonesia Emas 2045”, this issue is certainly alarming. If not addressed immediately, this hope could turn into a threat to the nation's future.

Recently, social media has been abuzz with social experiment content questioning general knowledge to several students. The questions asked were relatively easy and simple. However, instead of answering correctly, some students failed to provide the right answers.

Some viral clips uploaded by a TikTok user, @dino_wakkjess, show a social experiment involving several junior high school students. Randomly, students were asked about general knowledge questions ranging from the acronym of MPR or Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat (People’s Consultative Assembly) to the names of provincial capitals in Indonesia. Unfortunately, many of them gave wrong answers or even admitted that they did not know the answers. The video then spread widely on platforms such as X and Instagram, triggering various responses from netizens. Most netizens criticized and expressed concern over the low level of general knowledge among the younger generation. They emphasized that general knowledge, especially related to the country, should have been mastered since elementary school.

One of the main factors contributing to the lack of mastery of general knowledge among students is the lack of interest in reading. Quoted from kemdikbud.go.id, data from Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) shows that Indonesia’s population in 2023 reached 278.69 million people. However, this is in stark contrast to the number of people who have a reading interest. According to UNESCO data, only 0.001% of Indonesians have a reading interest. This means that out of 1,000 Indonesians, only one person enjoys and actively reads. Moreover, based on a survey conducted by the Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2019, Indonesia ranked 62nd out of 70 countries in reading interest. In other words, Indonesia is among the 10 countries with the lowest literacy rates among surveyed nations. The ease of accessing digital information in this modern era also makes students feel they don’t need to read to memorize or understand general knowledge, as they can easily search for this information on the internet anytime. As a result, students tend to rely on instant information and do not learn it in-depth.

Additionally, the policy of eliminating grade repetition in the Kurikulum Merdeka (Merdeka Curriculum) is seen as lowering students' motivation to study. Although the primary goal of this policy is to provide opportunities for all students to progress, without proper supervision and evaluation, this policy could negatively impact education. The Kurikulum Merdeka, currently in place, emphasizes promoting students to the next grade and making grade repetition the last resort. This has caused some students to lose the motivation to study harder, as they feel they will be able to advance, regardless of their academic ability. Consequently, the absence of the threat of "grade repetition" could lead students to become indifferent towards education as they no longer face tangible consequences for poor academic performance.

The phenomenon of low mastery of general knowledge among Indonesian students is a serious warning for the nation's future. Factors such as low reading interest and inadequate education policies, like the elimination of grade repetition in the Kurikulum Merdeka, contribute to the decline in education quality. If not addressed immediately, we will see a younger generation that is unprepared to compete globally, which certainly contradicts the vision of achieving Indonesia Emas 2045—envisioning a nation that is advanced, prosperous, and highly competitive internationally. To overcome this issue, the government must reform the curriculum to focus on developing critical thinking and literacy skills, while schools need to design teaching methods that are more relevant to students' needs.