An education expert who lives in Solo and works at Sanggar Anak Jati (Sajati), Bukik Setiawan says during a discussion at Ngobrol Bareng Yaphi (NGO-PHI) facilitated by Adi C. Kristiyanto and Astuti at the end of May that Sajati is an education venue with a firm belief that contextual education is key to children’s future. A number of questions come out of the anxiety about education, and we write it here for readers. We hope it is inspiring.

Astuti : Education is the most basic issue faced by people in Solo (urban people). The city offers many opportunities, and risks, for children. There is a tension between tradition and technology?

Bukik Setiawan : When we talk about Solo with its strong tradition, we are bound to preserve that tradition. On the other hand, we want to adapt to technological progress. This involves natural and man-made risks. Risk such as disaster is natural – i.e. overflow of Bengawan Solo River that leads to hazard. This is not natural nut man-made. Pollution is a hazard resulting from human behaviour and habits, city children face both – many opportunities compared to rural children such as access to learning through easier access to interaction with experts.

I grew up in Papua, and studied for six years in the only elementary school in my village. I only interacted with village people. So when I hear or watch experts on culture or other experts television, for example talking about architecture or design, that is fairly remote for me or village people, people because that only happen on television, not on our day-to-day life. But when I am in Solo, I interact with experts, learn things that I can do, i.e. meeting (President) Jokowi in a market, or meeting other figures on a street or in a food stall. This is a luxury only city children can access although the risk is also greater. Urban people need specific model of education, and not just follow national standard.

Adi C. Kristiyanto : The national standard is a minimum standard that students must learn, yet children face different situations?

Bukik Setiawan : Solo faces a different situation than children in general. Despite dfferences, we must maintain our sensitivity that children of fishermen, and children of peasants also need different models of education, hence the importance of contextual education as children face different realities in their respective areas.

It is interesting because Solo only has not only one culture, which we find and understand as urban city, as many people come to Solo and bring their own culture. Many people come to Solo and bring their own values that ultimately merge.

This is truly unique and interesting and bring with it many risks as explained beforehand, and we can enter and make an intervention in communities in the City of Solo by acknowledging the many different things that are unique. Regular education does not fit here. I would say it is like one type of vitamin for all situations.

I liken the current regular education as preparing a sterile broiler chicken. It is fairly limited in that it relies on textbooks, and it is measured in meaningless values for the community – such as score 10 or score 100. So what would score 100 tells of a child’s future? What distinguish it from other children with other scores? The scores cannot tell how a person would contribute to society. That is why I say that regular education is like preparing a broiler chicken which only look good, presentation-wise. It is “so wonderful to the eye” but in fact very vulnerable, because if there is dirt in feed, then there would be infection and all becomes vulnerable to negative influence. What we actually desire is free-range chicken which is resilient to diseases, and ready to face tough fluctuation. They are able to think when faced with challenges, they can differentiate between right and wrong. They can execute right actions that are needed for themselves and for people in their surrounding. And compared to the broiler chicken, free-range chicken has already had critical education.

Adi C. Kristiyanto : Education process for broiler chicken would certainly create issues. So, people who survive well in that type of education, they would show excellent scores. Those who cannot would face problems in that type of education system. Then there would be dropouts, and children who do not go to school, which people would then label as lazy children, with no desire to learn, or to go to school. Obviously the problems should not be those kinds. In fact what kind of education would we expect that is beyond the broiler type?

Bukik Setiawan : Dropout children and children who do not go to school are but one phenomenon. We must sound the alarm that our education is not relevant. If one looks at the participation rate in elementary school, one could see that it is 100%. Yet, when one looks at the participation rate in junior and senior highschool, one could see a sudden drop because there is in fact an intangible resistance, without any sound, and perhaps because people are reluctant to express their view about the relevance of such education. People are asking why should my child(ren) go to senior high school? It is enough if they can help us in the family plot. One parent tells that a neighbour graduates from senior high school, and receive the same salary as this person’s child. When there is such resistance, one can easily blame parents – who have no awareness to send their children to school. The education system in fact does not fulfil the needs of companies and communities, so if we truly want to address dropouts, we need to focus not only on scholarship or other types of rewards, but it is critical to make education more relevant to the community. Or if we talk about an urban setting, we are not only talking about middle-class and upper-class communities, but all communities. I went to the Central Market (Pasar Gede) and there was a young boy who just graduated from university, and he took actions by growing crops, and made ice, and other things, so this young boy knows what kind of world he is living in. So when we design education, we expect that those who graduate would know right away what they can contribute to the society.

There are two internal sides, while also an understanding of the external environment, what opportunities, what challenges, what supports system are in communities that they can use, and with what kind of system. This could provide answers to dropouts particularly at elementary school level. Scholarship is indeed helpful, and many parents think that mid-level education remains important, but what is the purpose, because in the end it all comes around the same. I met a teacher in Trenggalek who said that parents told that “it is better to clear grasses in the field”. I met parents in Batu District, and some parents contemplated, “it may be a great idea for the children to learn to grow crops, or vegetables that would give them potential income,” or should they waste their time in schools which would be irrelevant anyway with growing vegetables.

Astuti : In the context of the rhythm and reality of life in Surakarta, what could we do with regards to education?

Bukik Setiawan : We have the Central Market (Pasar Gede). The question is what have children learn from it? How many children of Sriwedari apply the knowledge from Sriwedari? People go there, people from outside come to Solo, to Central Market and get the best from it – which means that the Central Market offers good practices, which attract people from other areas, yet our own education system does not even have anything to do with it. If we talk about contextual education, then that market can be a source of learning. If possible Sanggar Anak Jati, when children go for observation at the Central Market (Pasar Gede), and conduct interviews with traders there then they can learn a lot, i.e. where the vegetables are coming from, for example. What time do they arrive at the market? Then how to process them? How to keep them fresh and how to offer them to buyers, how to serve buyers, and many other questions. We may be traditional, yet we can learn from restaurants, for example, what needs attention and care and what not. That is life’s lessons that children need to learn. But as children learn from textbooks, they only learn the definition of a market is – a place where people meet for transaction, despite the facts that there are so many diverse interactions happening in the market.

Education objective is to help children be close to communities. Schools are relatively new institutions – around 300-400 years old. So, before that there was a system called “ngenger” (to work with/for) in Java. There were two types of “ngenger” : with their own parents or with other people or people of higher status. Peasants’ children, for example, may follow parents’ footstep by observing their parents. There is a degree of freedom when it comes to children studying in religious schools as they can choose which school and which Islamic scholars they want to learn from, that is the freedom. Our education system should be able to facilitate a more systematic type of education with more resources, rather than to learn from one source – i.e. parents – as children of peasants may end up being peasants themselves, and children of fishermen would be fishermen themselves – it is a kind of inherited occupation – a kind of inherited fate.

It is actually more flexible when faced with limited resources. Now, every children should meet the standard and the latter includes, for example, what should the learning space be like, it is as if we are preparing a cage for broiler chicken. If there is wind, then the chicken would catch a clod. If we talk about gaps, it is more logical to have contextual education to bridge the diversities and differences. If we talk about test scores, then it is important to identify levels of scores. In work too, we are familiar with professional certification, but we must make a distinction what kind of profession and what kind of needs we are talking about. We talk about one profession, say lawyer, then the profession with that profession should be able to have a mastery of given case, must be able to argue for the case, must have good memory, and those are keys. Then we carry those to all levels of education. So at a certain point, I believe that certification is critical, and there must be quantitative measurement for specific occupations, with a level of senior high school or above. With our system, children are required to meet the quantitative standard even at an early stage in elementary school. What are the effects if adults fail and elementary school children also fail, there is a process of learning to accept failure before the students turn 18. But elementaryy school children, kindergarten children are still growing, and if they fail to make something then it is difficult for parents or teachers to lift their spirit, let alone when they have to meet test standard.

Berbeda peruntukannya jadi kapan digunakan untuk secara ketat di kehidupan orang dewasa itu bekerja dan kapan untuk tidak digunakan, yang lebih menggambarkan karakteristik anak tersebut, kelebihan dari anak tersebut. Jadi bukan menggambarkan pencapaian terhadap standar.Karena masih proses untuk menjadi dewasa, proses itu menjadi manusia utuh jadi tidak langsung. Itu menggambarkan, oh, di TK dia lebih suka untuk bergerak dibandingkan duduk diam. Ada anak yang lebih suka berbicara dibandingkan diam saja. Ini kekuatan anak tapi juga memfasilitasi anak itu untuk berani mencoba.

The experiment in learning happens until children can no longer draw in light of the experience, it is not just personal assessment. And children are still in the process of learning, and they need space for exploration and experimentation. I agree that when children are 18 years old they have a standard test, but I do not agree if the test is given before that.

Astuti : Because we are also dependent on policies, so then what should we do?

Bukik Setiawan : The first basis for the first support is education. Teachers can contemplate whatever support model in children education they think fit. In the past there was national exam, people who were for contextual education also had to prepare children and they were all aware that children were not adults. They help children to prepare national exam as needed. They see it as an authentic act. People may allocate learning time, so classes 1 to 5 and early semester of class 6, the learning process is contextual. Then in the last semester is allocated for preparation for national exam and that still helps children to be themselves amidst non-ideal policies. So the key word remains -education. Even when policies are more progressive, closer to learning, that helps tremendously in children education.

Astuti : Guru Belajar Foundation, How did you become involved in this Foundation’s establishment?

Bukik Setiawan : I have a background in education. Then, when I became a lecturer I had initiatives to help parents, to become better educator through “Indonesia Bercerita” or Indonesia Telling Stories. I was then trying to find an ecosystem for a change model, which was broader than changes in policies. We need to change our ecosystem perspective, and the system too must change. And there should be changes in awareness amongst people who are executing them. Even when it is simple, as it already happens for a number of years and there is also a circular issued by the Minister for not relying on class ranking. We need many leaders if we want to change the ecosystem, so that they are able to move the ecosystem, move people’s awareness and move changes at policy level.

At this point, we notice that teachers have the potential to become great leaders. Teachers are often made weak. People who come into a system get weakened. If we talk like other civil groups, we see a type of “tunneling” towards civil groups including workers groups such as SPSI since 1965, as well as peasant groups. A number of civil profession become stronger, but not teachers, for example when we talk about journalists during the Soeharto era, there was only one journalist groups being recognised – and that was PWI. Many organisations refllected the dynamics within the civil groups. There were strengthening processes that made it difficult for the State to control them.
Why consistent? For me, it is the Law on teachers. I read the academic transcrip which places teachers in a strong position to be an object for the State to pay attention to. Why they contribute significantly to our country, they become the heros without medals/recognition, why not give that recognition/medal now, so if this is outside of administrative bureaucratic issue, there is a struggle but the big narrative is that despite receiving incentives for professional certification – which is equal to one month salary – their political position remains low. So, as an object, they become stronger.

There are also significant manipulation in this practice. For example, when teachers get their incentives for certification, then there are menus for request, requesting the long path from the centre to the region. There was short cut in order to avoid such long path. The big narrative does not change, teachers are needed as object. So what do we do at Guru Belajar Foundation? We study it, creating awareness in teachers, that the key to a teacher’s profession is not position, so they must make a distinction between profession and position.

As a profession, two competencies and capacities are critical. Learning is the key, through the use of that capacity. The main task of a teacher is not teaching. It is learning. Teachers learn and as a profession it is also learning, because when teachers learn, their enthusiasm will spread to the students. The question is, when there are topics about teachers who learn, for example, really wanting to know how far a frog cam leap in meters? If only teachers who learn, frog, as a definition, is an animal living I two worlds. That is all.

As a profession, teachers will get natural recognition. Since when? Formally it is from 2016, but before then, we are active in the training division at Cikal School. In the past, our task was to train international teachers in Indonesia. Now it is available in 150 districts. With different capacities. Out of these, 145 districts have been solid. We have a National Education Meeting on a yearly basis ad that is not a structural assignment. So, the Central Government does not assign which district to organise the meeting. The activity is to build relations with different parties, with stakeholders and governments and amongst themselves. So there is no dependency on the central government. Often, those who are independent get more than what we give them. For them, this is a learning adventure to be local leaders.

Activities with relevant leveling, they manage programs in their own districts, policies in their own districts.

Schools are in charge of regulating school days. Districts are in charge of whether school is five days or six days and when the holidays are – this is not the authority of central government. If we look at Solo, for example, there are three big events which children need to learn, which can become special learning days for children. There would be no school activities, yet the three big events can be sources for learning – whether through observation, interviews, or direct presence in those events. If we talk in areas where fisherment are, then wind blowing from inland could be time for parents or fathers to go to sea when it is holiday season. Yet, many districts are not aware that they have the authority.

Central Java and Jakarta have different school days. Jakarta and Tangsel (South Tangerang) are neighbouring areas, yet they have different school days. Districts are not yet aware that they have authority over education and education management – from managing teachers to managing educational units.

They have city education offices. They are not only waiting for instruction or policies from the Central Government. The education sector is in fact the key strategy for district leaders to achieve education objective, district development objective.

Education is key to strategic choices for district leaders to attain district development objective, - if district has priority program(s), priority goals/objectives that it needs to achieve, then involving education would provide greater leverage, if one condition is met: the education should be contextual education, and not academic education.
An example from the District Administrator of Sleman : Two that I find interesting – one is the revitalisation of traditional market and two is managing waste comprehensively in Sleman.
People often see market in terms of its physical building and people interaction in it. Certainly people can build the physical structure, and nobody would come. And traders would prefer to sell their products outside of it, and nobody is eager to venture inside. That is an attitudinal issue. Then we try to define “traditional market revitalization” by moving from a physical problem to an attitudinal problem, contextual education becomes critical.

If there are thousands of students conducting research activities, visiting newly revitalized markets, conducting interviews, making observations and interactions. They go to the markets and they interact by asking questions and explaining the design of the parking system in traditional or modern markets. This opens up conversation about priority programs to the district leaders. Then when the ideas become reality, although the chances are small, that is what contextual school is about – opening opportunities for a dialogue becomes a priority program of loca leaders not merely as development planning document but as part of dialogues from communities. Local leaders no longer need to spend the budget, as when they are trying to revitalize the markets, but to train people how to use the budget.

Adi C. Kristiyanto: This is becoming more interesting. So contextual education offers plenty of benefits, for local governments and for communities, and certainly for students. So who should be involved so that this education becomes a solution for the community, particularly urban communities and in Surakarta City?

Bukik Setiawan : If we, civil groups, and middle-class groups and professional groups, are aware of the importance of contextual education and contribute to its realization, for example, how would children be interested in becoming, say, lawyers who are ready to work in the legal environment. That group can be a source of learning for children. If children want to become architects, then they would be relatively ready. Or for example, Solo as a culinary city, then culinary friends or maybe business operators and chef too may be a source of learning. How can they be sources for learning. Hence this civil group, what we need to contribute is not merely normative but also significant in that each profession has the responsibility to keep the professional standard.

For this, they need to make sure the right type of education. I invite colleagues from professional groups to send stronger messages about the importance of contextual education from their own perspective. We will meet, and interact, and debate and have dialogues in public spaces about how to develop contextual education that fit Solo or that is suitable for each respective area as each area has dominat professional groups that may be different from other areas. In Solo, there may only be one or two professional group such as peasants, but I invite colleagues from all profession to become part of the movement to make contextual education a reality for our children, the children of Solo so that they can have meaningful learning that helps them face life challenges. (Ast)