JAKARTA — Dompet Dhuafa through its education programme management partner, GREAT Edunesia, held a celebration of National Teachers’ Day 2024 at the Antara Heritage Center (AHC) Building, Central Jakarta, Tuesday (26/11/2024). This event aims to give appreciation to teachers for their dedication in educating the younger generation and improving the quality of education in Indonesia. In addition, Dompet Dhuafa also invited various related parties to discuss the current issues faced by teachers.
For Dompet Dhuafa, the current condition of teachers, especially those with honorary status, is still far from prosperous. Research by the Institute for Demographic and Affluence Studies (IDEAS) revealed that around 74 per cent of honorary or contract teachers in Indonesia are paid below the 2024 District-City Minimum Wage. The dualism of education management between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs has also long been considered ineffective and discriminatory. Educational institutions under the auspices of the Ministry of Religious Affairs have also received less attention.
Before the talk show began, IDEAS Director of Advocacy, Agung Pardini, first explained the results of IDEAS’ research on teacher educators in Indonesia in the form of a Policy Brief entitled MIMPI SEJAHTERA GURU HONORER: A Portrait of the Low Welfare of Honour Teachers in Indonesia. This E-Book can be downloaded to read and understand in full here. The policy brief is also equipped with policy alternatives that can be used as suggestions to the government and other policy makers related to education.
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Dompet Dhuafa’s Deputy Director of Corporate Secretary, Dian Mulyadi, said that in the perspective of philanthropic institutions, especially Dompet Dhuafa, education is not only the responsibility of the government, but also the collective mandate of everyone. In order to improve the quality of teachers in Indonesia, Dompet Dhuafa through its innovative programmes divides the role of teachers into four important points, namely as teachers and facilitators, as role models of character values, as drivers of literacy and educational inclusion, and as agents of social change. This is the basis of Ki Hajar Dewantara’s philosophy of leadership, namely ‘Ing ngarsa sung tuladha, ing madya mangun karsa, tut wuri handayani’.
‘Therefore, on this Teacher’s Day, we would like to express our deepest gratitude. Not only for the hard work and energy that has been poured out, but also for the courage to continue to hope and dream, even though sometimes the reality on the ground feels heavy. Let us make this National Teachers‘ Day not just a celebration, but also a reminder that education is the most valuable investment we can make for the future of the nation,’ he said.
Themed ‘Proud to be a Teacher?’, the talk show on the commemoration of Teachers National Day 2024 is one of a series of EduAction Festival activities which will culminate in a Public Expose event in December. Guided by Eko Sriyanto (Head of GREAT Edunesia Education Centre) as the moderator, the speakers explained and discussed in-depth issues about education. They were Lukman Solihin (Head of the Policy Analysis and Advocacy Team at the Centre for Education Standards and Policy, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education), Patriya Pratama (Founding CEO and Executive Director of INSPIRASI), Heni Kurniasih (Secretary of SMERU Research Institute), Asep Hendriana (CEO of GREAT Edunesia).
‘Not only to students, teachers need to approach parents through three important elements, namely the heart where good values reside, the head where teachers provide understanding and knowledge, and the hands so that they can provide a variety of skills and life skills,’ explained Asep on the occasion of presenting GREAT Edunesia’s view of teachers.
According to Asep, the National Teacher’s Day commemoration has a mission to revive the spirit of humanity in developing the whole person. Not only on the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor sides, but the soul or spirit. This is the philosophy of ‘Budi Pekerti Education’, where human development is carried out through a liberating and empowering educational approach to encourage the birth of a generation with noble character, independence, and the best contribution to the earth. On the momentum of National Teachers’ Day, Asep also invited the community to restore the pride of a teacher. So that teachers become a noble profession, a profession to be proud of.
‘Teachers are not just digugu and imitated, we must respect their struggle to educate millions of the nation’s children. Happy Teacher’s Day, stay proud to be a teacher!’ Asep concluded in front of 50 participants from teachers, media, and education practitioners. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photo: Riza Muthohar
Editor: Dhika