MUHAMMADIYAH.ID BANDUNG – National education has a vivid scheme, foundation, direction, and goals as formulated by the nation’s founding fathers in the 1945 Constitution.
The President of Muhammadiyah, Prof. Dr. Haedar Nashir, M.Si. mentioned that the materials must be sufficient for stakeholders and policymakers to keep the national education direction on the track.
“The founding fathers of this nation thoroughly formulated the concepts. However, a few elites in this country fail to understand philosofische grondslag (the philosophical foundation), which later became Pancasila,” Haedar said at the 12th lustrum of the Faculty of Education and Teacher Training of Universitas Islam Bandung on Tuesday (20/12).
Haedar said that the consistency of the nation’s founders was seen in the formulation of the constitution.
“When Indonesia achieved its independence, the founding fathers composed the goals of the independence to be united, sovereign, just, and prosperous. To form the government of the Republic of Indonesia aimed to protect the whole Indonesian nation and the entire native land of Indonesia, advance the public welfare, educate the life of the nation, and participate in the execution of world order which is by virtue of freedom, perpetual peace, and social justice, ” said Haedar.
Citing Prof. Taufik Abdullah, “to educate the life of the nation” refers to both rational-instrumental and multidimensional aspects involving intelligence and the potential of Indonesians as an ecosystem, including religious and nobly cultural values.
In the 1945 constitution, education in Indonesia has its own characteristics and should be accommodated as mentioned in Article 31 of the 1945 Constitution paragraphs 3 and 5 that national education may not be inseparable from faith, piety, and noble characters (religious ethics).
In addition, Law Number 20/2003 on the National Education System mentioned that cultural, pluralism and religious aspects should be accommodated as one multidimensional unity.
“One party aspires to build national character and civilization with the specific goal of developing the potential of Indonesian people who believe in God Almighty and who are healthy, intelligent, knowledgeable, independent, responsible, and democratic,” said Haedar.
Haedar believed that a consistent way of thinking in line with the constitution is supposed to prevent elites from making new controversial educational policies.
“The foundation should not be disoriented to foster Indonesia, particularly to improve education. The government may change, and the ministers may alter policy, but the foundation may continue and always be used for our education,” Haedar emphasized.
