Introduction
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." A
well-known quote from Nelson Mandela. For some people, changing the world may sound too
exaggerating. Thus, how important is education? Referring to (Benefits of Education, n.d.),
"education is considered to be a human right and plays a crucial role in human, social, and
economic development. Education promotes gender equality, fosters peace, and increases a
person's chances of having more and better life and career opportunities." Indonesia, as the
fourth most populous country, has the potential to become a developed country. The slogan
"Indonesia emas 2045" might not only be gibberish but the ultimate goal of a developing nation.
However, one problem needs to be solved to achieve it, which is education.
According to (Education Rankings by Country 2022, n.d.), Indonesia is ranked 54th in
education. Take a loot at higher ranks, for example, United States, Germany, Canady, and United
Kingdom. These countries have a higher level of economic development. It appears that the
teaching system is somehow interrelated with the country's development. Another research is
taken from Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Indonesia placed in 72 out
of 77 countries tested. The participants are 15-year-old students, chosen randomly and given
mathematic, science, and literature test. Literature, mathematics, and science result in respective
order are 371, 379, and 389. The score lies far below the established standard which is 487, 487,
and 489. It shows the changes should be executed at an early age if we want to leverage our
PISA score, which in my opinion, started from elementary school. The government needs to
figure it how to standardize the teaching system in Indonesia to be on par with the world's level.
Rasio, Rasa, Raga
In advance of connecting the aforementioned education problem with rasio, rasa, and raga, here is the explanation of those three words;
Rasio: The element in which a person explores the learning process, and improves skills with various kinds of experience to shape himself into a smart, intelligent, professional, and ready human being.Â
Rasa: Elements of noble or virtuous character who promote tolerance, have a compassionate soul, and cultivate mutual assistance.
Raga: Bodily elements related to body stamina. It includes the maintenance of our body parts to stay fresh and able to do daily activities without any hindrances.
Indonesia's standard for creating the education system still overrides these three basic principles. They exalt rasio aspect or intelligent quotient (IQ) above the others. The educators believe that having outstanding results in academics would pave the way for students to get better and stabler jobs. This statement could be a boomerang, seeing how the current condition in Indonesia is. Lots of employees in high positions, seem to lack rasa. Proven by numerous corruption cases occurred. So, in my opinion, this stereotype should be opposed to producing the greater quality graduates.
The "Missing Factor" in Indonesia's Education System
The difference between Indonesia's and other countries' education systems leaves us wondering what is the missing factor. Why is the student in China more brilliant than Indonesia student? The answer is the system in both countries are significantly different. Furthermore, these discrepancies start at an early age or elementary school when kids start to explore "the new world".
Equal opportunity for the student
We know that in Indonesia, grades are everything. That is why those with higher academic achievement can get into private school easily, whereas those with fewer results should pay more to enter the next education level. This leads to competition among students to get better scores without understanding the essence. Â In other countries, such as Finland, they don't classify the students based on their scores. The goal is to make everyone educated in a proper school.
Subject learned in elementary school
Imagine during elementary school in Indonesia, students are urged to learn more than 10 subjects whereas, in Singapore and China, they just learn language and mathematics, known as the "Big Two". That example showed the advanced system does not coerce pupils to learn everything. It is quite contradictory to what Indonesia applies in elementary school.
Teaching methodÂ
What does your experience in elementary school look like? Burdened by all the assignments and homework? This is not going to happen in other countries. In Finland, the schools have the principle to ensure children can explore their talents during leisure time. Compared to Indonesia, students need to work on their homework or take an extra course after school which hinders them from honing their soft skills.
We should determine the strategies to accomplish the desired outcomes. The goal of strategies is to figure out how to make the changes you want to happen. Assumptions are the information that comes before it: the research, practice, and theory that informs strategic decisions. They have a big say in which techniques are picked as paths to your desired result.
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Rasio Aspect
Activity 1: Using the personal approach to students.
Every student is unique. They have different advantages and drawbacks. Si in elementary school, most kids still don't understand themselves. From this activity, teachers are expected to help students to find their talents and hone their specific subjects. Having a personal approach also increases the relationship with students which leads to higher motivation. As we know, Indonesia's student assessment is still "homework" and I believe this program could help to achieve the ideal standard of teaching method starting from elementary school.
Activity 2: Creating a new curriculum
Indonesia has experienced several curriculum changes. The latest was curriculum 2013 but canceled after 6 months of implementation due to unpreparedness from school and students. In the recent PISA assessment, the reason students weren't capable of doing the test was that they never worked on that type of test. The level of the test is completely different and it uses HOTS (higher-order thinking skills). In k-13, government coerces the student to instantly comprehend the HOTS method. They can't do that since the early progress and learning method are not enough, thus students tend to memorize rather than understand the problem. The role of government is very crucial in deciding the right curriculum. They have to know that students in elementary school should be given time to explore themselves. It is no use if the government applies a curriculum that forces them to study from morning to night doing assignments and homework.Â
Raga Aspect
Activity 1: Extracurricular activities
In Indonesia, extracurricular activities are just a "compliance". Based on my experience, extracurricular activities are not emphasized to students in elementary school. This could be connected to the discussion about curriculum where schools give too many assignments and homework to our kids. Therefore, they are exhausted and have no time to learn non-academic things. Academic results and non-academic achievements should be assessed fairly. Extracurricular could help to improve their motoric activity, physical health, and mental condition.Â
Activity 2: Take care of nutrition for students
What does your canteen's food look like? Does it sell healthy food? Or do they still sell snacks that have less nutrition for our bodies? I think some schools already realize the impact of the food on growth period. This activity might be underestimated since some schools only think about the education side of children. However, the impact might be fatal if the students don't get enough nutrition around 7-12 years old. A physical health issue could affect their study, thus they can't concentrate well in school. If at an early age, they don't get information about the importance of food, it would be a habit in the future. Having a bad lifestyle in their study method could be a detrimental effect on Indonesia's development.
Rasa Aspect
Activity 1: Ethic lesson in class
Ethic lesson is one of the best foundations for elementary school students. With the advancement of technology, ethics should be more emphasized. This session could be conducted once a week. This program is useful to teach students how to behave in certain situations. With this activity, the students in the future are not known for their IQ or rasio aspect but also for their integrity and behavior.
Activity 2: Counseling session
Mental health issues can't be ignored anymore. The outcome is very horrible and suicide is one of them. Early treatment is crucial, especially for elementary students. Not only counseling, but it can also be a lesson for them to know more about their mental and emotional. If it works, students could have a better understanding to control and manage their emotions. This session should be helped by external parties which as psychiatrists.
Performance Accountability 4 Quadrant Approach
CONCLUSION
Identification of the problem of why is Indonesia's education left behind should be started as soon as possible. The program and analysis of rasio, raga, and rasa can help the government to create a curriculum that is not based on academic scores and homework. Elementary education is the starting point for Indonesia to change. The school is not only a place for kids to gather as many academic scores as they could but a place for progress and development. Every aspect such as emotional intelligence, ethics, exploration time, and nutritious food are equally important to their academic success. I believe that having graduates excel in academic and non-academic achievement has lots of supportive factors.
"Bisa karena biasa." This is a quote that could be an eye-opener to the government, school, and any institution to realize that the big change does not come instantly. It is a big misunderstanding if we want to copy the program starting from university or senior high school. The process should start from elementary school and gradually step up to the university stage. The program logic model and four-quadrant approach can be an auxiliary analysis to accelerate the change. Through these activities, we hope the future graduates will be more brilliant and have enormous contributions to our nation.
