EN.MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA — Five students from Sapen Muhammadiyah Elementary School have brought recognition to Indonesia with BECIK, an educational board game designed to teach children about preventing bullying. The innovation won a Gold Medal in the Social Science, Environmental Protection, and Agriculture category at the International Young Inventors Award 2026 (IYIA 2026).
Agung Rahmanto, Principal of Sapen Muhammadiyah Elementary School, praised the achievement by Team BECOK. He said the accomplishment shows that elementary school students can identify problems in their surroundings and develop creative solutions.
“BECIK’s victory shows that elementary school-aged children are capable of creating solutions to problems around them,” he said, as quoted in a press release received by the editorial team Tuesday (6/10).
The international competition was held at SMESCO Jakarta from October 3–6, 2026. In addition to the gold medal, Team BECIK received the Best Prize for The Most Creative Idea for its creative approach to delivering anti-bullying education to children.
Team BECIK consists of five students: Arkatama Shifan Winatra, Lintang Sari Wardana, Nabil Alfarizqi, Elmyra Shanum Prasia, and Cakra Kalani Al Ghifari. BECIK was one of three teams representing the school at IYIA 2026.
Learning About Empathy through Play
BECIK is an educational board game designed to introduce anti-bullying values to elementary school children. Players encounter various bullying scenarios through Empathy Cards and Action Cards. They then earn Love Coins when they give responses that demonstrate empathy.
The game also incorporates Javanese cultural values and the five Pandawa figures. Through this approach, children are encouraged to understand the importance of treating friends well, developing empathy, and resolving problems in ways connected to their everyday lives.
The idea for BECIK emerged from the continuing problem of bullying in educational settings. According to the 2018 PISA survey released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 41.1 percent of 15-year-old Indonesian students reported experiencing bullying at least several times a month. The figure was nearly twice the OECD average of around 23 percent.
Bullying also affects younger children. Statistics Indonesia’s SGD’s Indicators 2022 report found that 26.8 percent of fifth-grade elementary school students experienced bullying in 2021.
These figures highlight the importance of introducing anti-bullying education from elementary school. At this age, children are developing their ability to interact with others, empathize, resolve conflicts, and understand boundaries in social relationships.
BECIK delivers anti-bullying education through play. Children not only learn about bullying but also practice recognizing situations, deciding how to respond, and understanding the importance of standing up for and treating their friends well.
Bringing BECIK beyond the Classroom
After competing at IYIA 2026, Team BECIK had an opportunity to introduce its innovation to the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) at its headquarters in Menteng, Jakarta. They met with KPAI Commissioner Diyah Puspitarini and other officials.
The meeting was part of an effort to introduce BECIK as a potential alternative educational tool for anti-bullying programs aimed at elementary school children.
“We need appropriate alternative educational methods for anti-bullying campaigns at the elementary school level. BECIK is a fun and creative innovation. Rather than relying only on verbal explanations, which can often feel boring to children, BECIK invites them to learn through play,” Diyah said.
Team BECIK also presented its innovation to Didik Suhardi, special staff member to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education for Management and Institutional Affairs and Chairperson of the Muhammadiyah Central Board’s Council for Primary, Secondary, and Nonformal Education (Dikdasmen PNF), as well as Muhammad Khoirul Huda, secretary of the council.
Didik said BECIK’s game-based approach could encourage children to take an active role in learning while developing their social skills.
To expand the innovation’s reach, Team BECIK has partnered with several institutions to disseminate its work, including the Muhammadiyah Regional Board of Yogyakarta City’s Council for Primary, Secondary, and Nonformal Education, Hope Institute, Faculty of Education at Ahmad Dahlan University, and Sapen Muhammadiyah Elementary School Yogyakarta.
The team hopes more elementary schools will eventually use the board game as a fun, interactive anti-bullying educational tool suited to children’s world.
BECIK’s achievement at IYIA 2026 also demonstrates how innovation and concern for social problems can emerge at the elementary school level. Through creativity, children are not merely recipients of education, but can also become part of the solution to problems in their communities.
