Ki Hadjar Dewantara is one of the educational figures in Indonesia who has had monumental influence and power through his work and thoughts. Moreover, to celebrate his noble contribution in education, his birthday, 2nd May, is commemorated as National Education Day in Indonesia.
Ki Hadjar Dewantara ever said that:
“Ing ngarsa sung tuladha, ing madya mangun karsa, tut wuri handayani,” a Javanese saying which means “In front (we’re) giving examples, in the middle (we’re) raised spirit, and from behind (we’re) giving strength.”
Setting an example, raising spirits, and giving strength - these keywords from what Ki Hajar Dewantara said - for me - it’s a clear reflection of what teachers in one of the remote areas school in a village located in Central Kalimantan, named SDN Talekoi, have been doing for years. This story is to let you know why.
SDN Talekoi is led by Wahyuni as the principal, besides her there are six other teachers who faithfully serve and teach. Indeed it was a small school, not like any other schools in the urban areas which might consist of hundreds even thousands of students - SDN Talekoi only has less than 30 students, in each grade the number of students vary from only 4 to 10 students at top.
The buildings of this school are made of wood, some of them look old and in some parts of the wood has started to porous and cracked. However, this school is still standing strong - and this school might be the living proof - the resemblances of the hope of the parents, families, and communities for the education and the future of their children.
If you met the teachers from this school, you can get an impression that not only they are warm and welcoming, but they are also smart and resilient. This has been proven by how the teachers in SDN Talekoi cope with the impact of the pandemic - that turned out really bring a huge challenge for all of them.
When we first conducted a meeting with the teachers discussing the SMART VOICE project in early February, with excitement, Pak Heriyanto, one of the teachers, met us in the front of the school building and led us to the teachers’ room.
“Masuk bu, mohon maaf kalau kotor sudah lama tidak dibersihkan (Please come in, sorry it’s been a while since we cleaned this room).” Heriyanto greeted us and invited us in with the most welcoming greeting.
From the first sight, I could see cobwebs and dust which indicated that this school had not been occupied for a long time. While waiting for the other teachers to come, we sat with Pak Heriyanto and had a small talk. He told us that indeed, the online school system they have tried to apply since the pandemic forbade the school to open has been very challenging. This challenge was not only for the teachers, but also for the students, and the parents. When all the other teachers came in, we got to know a glimpse from each of their perspectives.
The challenges vary but if I might simplify, it’s almost impossible to run an onlineschool in a place where getting internet access, if not rare - took a very tremendous effort. In the midst of what I might consider a hard topic, they can still come up with the brightest smile and throw some jokes - which made me feel at home already.
After introducing ourselves, we explained our objectives to the teachers. We introduced Ranu Welum Foundation and our initiatives supported by UNICEF and AIYP which we called as SMART VOICE (Indonesian: Suara Pintar), a digital offline learning kits consisted of voice memo and a module book that can be shared to the students or the parents without requiring internet access. They were so thrilled to learn about this initiative more, and from the first meeting we agreed to conduct a one-day workshop for the teacher to learn more about this initiative and create their own SMART VOICE learning kits.
It doesn’t surprise me when the teachers excellently follow this one day workshop and are able to create their own SMART VOICE kit. Not only that, through this one day workshop we had the privilege of hearing each of their own stories and struggles, not just as teachers but also as parents. Economic instability, internet inequality, and insufficient support from the government are just some of the challenges and problems that they have to face daily, so when the pandemic hits, it eventually gets worse. But even with all these limitations, none of them quit or give up.
As another part of the project, we were archiving the story of the teacher of SDN Talekoi and how they cope with the pandemic in a short documentary film. This film follows the story of Pak Heriyanto as the main actor. On our second visit to SDN Talekoi, we held a premiere of this documentary film which was later entitled as “Kaharapen” or in English the child of hope. This movie premiere embarks the end of our project, but we’re hoping for the lasting impact, for the teachers, for the students, and for the Talekoi community itself.
As I said before, these teachers are unsung heroes - and their spirits are a perfect resemblance of what Ki Hajar Dewantara stated. These teachers are setting examples, raising spirits, and they became the source of strengths for their students and the community of Talekoi villages.
SMART VOICE is one of the alternative solutions for them and they’re very thrilled to implement it on a daily basis. But it is never intended to be the final answer. I believe at the end of the day, quality education and its accessibility is something that has to be - obliged to be, available for anyone to reach their maximum potentials.
Celebrating Ki Hajar Dewantara and National Education Day is more than just a social media post, morning ceremony or national holiday. It is a fire within us that must be keep burning to enlighten the future of Indonesia, it is a fair policy making process that gives special attention and involves the ideas and voices coming even from the remote areas, it is not just an obligation, but it is a noble duty - for the government, and us, as the people.
At the end of the day, I got to remember the last yet notable words from Pak Heriyanto at the end of the Kaharapen movie when we asked him what his biggest hope for the future of his students was.
With a light in his eyes, he said:
“But our hope remains the same, that the students can make their dreams come true.”
And I can’t help but say the loudest amen in my heart.
Written by: Nabila Fatiha for Ranu Welum Foundation