Oleh Irsyad Zamjani

Kepala Pusat Standar dan Kebijakan Pendidikan

As mandated by Article 3 of Law No. 20/2003 on the national education system, one of the primary objectives of education.is to shape democratic and responsible citizens.

Education has long been considered a means for social mobility that allows children from less privileged backgrounds to gain the knowledge and skills needed to succeed and elevate their social status. While this may be a widely accepted social reality, it is not the main purpose of education. In fact, education is a tool for social emancipation that goes beyond individual aspirations.

Throughout history, education has been a political entity with a mission (Standish, 2019). During the colonial era, it was used as a tool to instill political compliance and cultural values of colonial governments, while also serving as an effective platform for awakening resistance among indigenous people. The Taman Siswa movement in Indonesia (Tsuchiya, 1975) and the decolonization of education programs in India (Elder, 1971) are prime examples of this.

In independent countries, education systems have been developed to support the political goal of nation-building (Ramirez and Boli, 1987). They serve as a means of socializing the ideology, values and vision of a nation and its society. As Kaestle (2011) points out in his study of the history of American public schools, "the prevention of crime and poverty became the leading moral mission of public schools". 

Thus, educational institutions exist not only for the benefit of individual participants, but also for the wider purposes of society and the nation. As mandated by Article 3 of Law No. 20/2003 on the National Education System, one of the primary objectives of education is to shape democratic and responsible citizens.

To ensure that education remains relevant to society and the nation, learning in educational institutions should always be connected to the dynamic changes in society. It's not enough for the school curriculum to only teach scientific knowledge as a theoretical discipline. Instead, it should also include knowledge that helps students understand and address social issues.

Borrowing the ideas of German philosopher Jürgen Habermas in Knowledge and Human Interests (1971), schools should not just focus on teaching technical and practical knowledge. They should also provide students with emancipatory knowledge, which aims to connect the acquisition of knowledge with humanity's aspirations for freedom from oppression and the realization of justice and welfare.

Through an emancipatory perspective, students are taught to analyze and understand information through a creative process that is free from coercion. This also prompts reflection on how their understanding can help address social issues around them. In this sense, Mathematics is not just about counting and logic but also a lesson about problem-solving. Sociology is not only about understanding the behavior of a group of people, but also a lesson that can stimulate social advocacy.

The Merdeka (Freedom) curriculum is an example of a curriculum designed with an emancipatory perspective. It substantially alleviates the excessive administrative loads and non-essential competency teaching that could limit the creative freedom of teachers and students. It also provides ample space for efforts to integrate disciplinary teaching and the formation of social awareness among school members.

Rather than solely aiming for mastery of subjects, the curriculum seeks to train competencies and character as Pancasila learners. The Pancasila character project-based learning, which takes up a significant proportion of 20-30 percent of class hours, provides a training ground for students to contextualize their learning with real social problems. These projects cover contemporary issues such as climate change, diversity, cultural preservation, democracy, health, technological change and entrepreneurship. 

Through this contextualization, students will not only acquire knowledge but also cultivate a genuine concern for the pressing issues within their immediate environment.

If schools are tasked with the social emancipation mandate of education, then teachers are their primary agents. Law No. 14/2005 on teachers and lecturers has made social competence one of the mandatory minimum competency standards that a teacher must possess, in addition to the other three competencies: professional, pedagogical and personality. 

Conventionally, social competence is usually translated as the ability to build effective communication and interaction with school community members, parents and the surrounding community (e.g. Mulyasa, 2009).

 However, while it remains relevant, we can refer to this conventional definition as the first phase of a teacher's social competence. In the second phase, a teacher's social competence is linked to the embodiment of emancipatory perspective. A socially competent teacher is one who is capable of transcending numerous sociocultural barriers that impede their instructional creativity, fostering equity among their students, as well as translating teaching materials and processes into social contexts.

A socially competent teacher is one who uses their creative, emancipated minds to ensure that each student is afforded the opportunity to unlock their fullest potential. The educator must creatively bestow an equivalent quality of attention to every student, while simultaneously recognizing the diverse characteristics and needs that may necessitate tailored and distinct approaches. This is to make sure that no one, particularly the most vulnerable, is overlooked or left behind.

Furthermore, socially competent teachers do not only teach what students need to know, but also how to use knowledge to understand everyday life issues. In this regard, a teacher must continue to learn, constantly updating their understanding of the discipline they teach while keeping it relevant to the dynamics of social changes. 

In the third phase, a teacher's social competence is linked to their ability to directly influence their environment: schools, professional communities and society at large. At this level, teachers become more active agents of social change. They become drivers and leaders of change.

Over the last three years, policies on teacher training and development have aimed to cultivate this new kind of teacher. Dubbed "guru penggerak" (master teacher), these educators are trained to lead the charge in their schools and communities, promoting dynamic and engaging learning environments and acting as catalysts for their fellow educators. They inspire the development or revitalization of various learning communities that facilitate fellow educators to remain lifelong learners. 

To support this initiative, teacher training centers have been established in every province, shifting their focus from subject-based to instructional leadership training. The goal is to equip potential teachers with the skills and mindset needed to effect positive change in their educational units and beyond.

In an ever-changing society, it is essential that education remains relevant to the challenges of the times. A contextual curriculum and a community of teachers who are inspiring and committed to lifelong learning are key to achieving the best education system possible.

Artikel pertama kali terbit di: thejakartapost.com 

Sumber foto: The Jakarta Post