Education aims to develop and optimize the potential of students so that they are able to face their future.
The rapid development of technology has triggered changes that were oftentimes unexpected and full of uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic, for one, has accelerated such changes.
The biggest challenge of the education world today is preparing Generation Z and Alpha, the students of today, to face uncertainties. A Dell Technologies report in 2020 said that 85 percent of the jobs that Generation Z and Alpha will work in 2030 have not yet been identified. Automation in Industry 4.0 will change the structure of employment opportunities.
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> Acceleration of Education Technology
> Digitalization of Online Schooling
On one hand, formal education institutions have been deemed nonoptimal in terms of equipping students with practical skills to develop themselves independently, or to enter the working world (Kompas, 22/8/2021). The educational paradigm has shifted with the times, but the education system has been unable to sufficiently respond to the demands.
An education system that allows teachers or educators to change learning methods in accordance to the students’ needs is needed. Such an education system should allow students to be independent in learning, free to express their opinions and to be creative. Such an education system must also allow schools and teachers to optimize their learning resources, which are becoming increasingly accessible.
It must be acknowledged that there are still several fundamental problems that shackle Indonesia’s education system, from regional autonomy and educational authority divided at the central level to problems with teachers, education budgets and curriculums. During this pandemic, for example, despite the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry offering three emergency curriculum options, schools were unable to select a curriculum due to the conditions of their students that had been determined by the local administration.
One-way learning methods and regional regulations that do not support students to think critically and creatively are common in this country — despite the fact that critical and creative thinking are two of the 12 skills needed in the 21st century. For one, how are students able to think critically if they are constrained by regulations that require or prohibit them from wearing uniforms with religious attributes?
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> Solutions for Education
A reformation of the education system must also be able to address these problems. As Ki Hajar Dewantara one said, education is a demand in children’s lives, so the education system must also respond to the students’ needs. Now, they are required to master learning skills (critical thinking, creative, collaborative and communication), literacy skills (information literacy, media and technology) and life skills (flexibility, leadership, initiative, productivity and social skills) to adapt to these fast-changing times.
This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.
