These days my blog post is talking about alternative education that is carried by alternative schools in the city of Bandung. I place great respect and appreciation for every alternative school that has developed a humanized learning approach.
The term alternative education is a generic term for various educational programs carried out in a different way from the traditional way. In general alternative education has in common, namely: the approach is individualized, gives great attention to students, parents / family, and educators and is developed based on interests and experience.
This idea of alternative education stems from Father Mangun's criticisms of the form of education which, from the enactment of the 1974 curriculum, developed until the 1994 curriculum.
Alternative education is not interpreted as a substitute for formal schooling, but rather seeking new dedication materials and methods until the new curriculum. According to Nunuk Murniati, education should be contextual, it must be adapted to the environment. Education for the marginal too. Where the concept of link and macth that was heralded by the New Order government in education only produced capitalist screws that were made only to suit the needs of labor in industrial machinery.
According to Jery Mintz (1994: xi) Alternative education can be categorized in four forms of organization, namely:
- Public choice schools;
- Public schools / educational institutions for problem students (student at risk);
- Private / independent school / educational institution and
- Home education (homeschooling).
The oldest alternative form of education managed by the community for the community is pesantren. Estimated to begin in the 15th century, it was first developed by Raden Rahmad alias Sunan Ampel. Then came the pesantren Giri by Sunan Giri, pesantren Demak by Raden Fatah and Pesantren Tuban by Sunan Bonang.
In addition to the pesantren, Taman Siswa was established in 1922. Besides Taman Siswa, Mohammad Syafei opened a school in Kayutaman. School with the motto, "Look for yourself and do it yourself". Students are given the skills to make their own tables and chairs for their learning. But the Netherlands has burned down the school.
Arunika Waldorf School (www.arunikawaldorf.blogspot.com) |
Spirit Of The Alternative
Despite the great distance since Taman Siswa and Kayutaman School, alternative schools are increasingly thriving in big cities in Indonesia. The thing that we should be proud of is that the community has many choices for getting better learning opportunities for their children. Well, the spirit of providing a more humane educational approach is what I think. Alternative education can be an interesting part of building Indonesia's human resources in a better future.
Alternative schools are proven to be able to provide another dimension in the world of Indonesian education. Alternative schools dare to come out of the standard of learning that just like that. Passive children and teachers lecture all day long. Although this spirit has also been present in the planning of education in the curriculum, but the reality is far from the fire.
Conventional schools still have difficulty implementing interesting things in conveying their learning. The allocation of training funds has been spent a lot but instead of improving the existing education system it is only a waste of budget. The teacher in the class will again take the safest way, search the internet, copy paste and then spread it in class. Even worse, selling LKS then told the children to do it themselves and the teacher just to rest his legs casually while exhaling the cigarette smoke he was smoking. A bad portrait of education that has been very acute.
While in alternative schools, teachers are struggling to find interesting forms in delivering learning that is interesting and easily understood by children through a variety of varied activities. The teacher processes all materials based on competency standards and core competencies to be delivered to their students.
Now the spirit of creative thinking in alternative education is what I want to share with all. Creative education, fun education, creative education is a spirit that must emerge in every educator himself throughout Indonesia. Hopefully more and more alternative schools will be able to make a positive contribution in building a free, independent, creative and empowered Indonesian human being!