We Do Not Need Nationalism!

Nationalism becomes a hot topic to be discussed in any chances and seems never ending story about this. Recently, Indonesia now is facing the problem of the nationalism, many poeple say. They believe that nationalism is the major problem that must be solved immediately to save the country and the nation. The problems of the generation is always be connected with the nationalism. The next generation should have more and higher nationalism in order to solve the problem of the nation and bring the nation to the highest victory. Many people talk about nationalism, The President, Ministers, Teachers, even the poeple around our life talk about it. But do they know the meaning of Nationalism? They also talk that, by having Nationalism we are able to buid the country and save the nation. Is that true? Earlier on the French Revolution, nationalism was the hottest topic that was always be discussed by many people and experts at that time. Hundreds or perhaps thousands book have discussed about the meaning of nationalism itself. Nationalism is related to the feeling of belonging, love and appreciate to the country or nation and expressed by doing something or other things. The Term of Nationalism is closely related to the feeling of Pride and Love, even just with a simple sentence or even word. The question is, is that enough for building this big country? Connecting with the next generation, the youth of the country, nationalism is reflected on their community, organization or any group activities that they join in. The Nationalism becomes the top issue that is always brought by the Community or Organization itself in developing their loyality. Then, if we connect to the definition of nationalism it could be “the feeling of pride, love and appreciate to their community”. Why? Because the nearest environment from the people is their community, it is really difficul to see the ordinary people touch the core of the Nation and then see they show their nationalism.

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SCL : Score Centered Learning

“It is hard to say, but it real to see” –Ahmad RA-- Teaching and learning are the processes that needed in the aim of improvement and development. The things that become the top level  concern in teaching and learning process are the development of students’ knowledge and or ability, commonly called skill. Students are the object of the teaching learning process in old pareadigm of teaching. In the new paradigm of teaching, the students are becoming the subject and object of the teaching and learning process. In this kind of learning paradigm, the students have more activities in the classroom than only listen to the teachers’ explanation about materials of the lesson. This paradigm of teaching model commonly called Student Centered Learning or rephrased  as SCL. Nowadays, teachers and all education stakeholders become more concern to the result of the education. As mention before, education and educational process is conductued in the aim of improvement and develpment of the students/learners. The terms improvement and deveopment become a great words such kind of magical words that able to hypnotize many or even most of the teachers work hard and harder to reach both improvemenr and development. The thing that must be the highest concern is about the understanding of the teacher and educators about the term of improvement and development. Improvement and development relate to the quality and the ability of the outcome of the schools. Students ao learners are hoped to have better ability and quality in their knowledge and skill after they graduate from the school. Those terms are a little but to measure by using SCORE or the masrk of the certain tests. But, it is really ironic to see the fact that our education till nowadays still focus to the quality of the outcome by focusing to the improvement and develoopment of the students’ score. Whatever the technique and method are used by teachers, thay only focus on the students’ score without considering the students’ ability, skills and knowledge that basicly those are more important than only a score. There are many ideas and opinion that score represents quality, that is true for several certain condition. But, this idea becomes something dangerous for learners because in the next level of their live does not relate to the score itself, but skills and ability are more needed then. The educational system in this country seems turns to create a new learning model which is called Score-centered learning (SCL). The fact says that, since the National Examination becomes the last requirement for the graduation and determination whether the students are success or fail, the teachers seems loose their orientation in giving their maximum ability to improve and develop their students. Score becomes the biggest thing that they must consider in order to claim that their students are success. In every level of education in this country seems to be influenced and hypnotized by the power of SCORE. It is really ironic, in other side the Education aims to create a great generation with their ability and skills, but the fact shows that the EDUCATORS are only focus on the SCORE that does not represent the QUALITY, SKILL and ABILITY perfectly. The Government has chaged the curricullum for amny times, we have remembered about the Competency Based Curricullum (CBC) in 2004. It was such kind of a nice atmosphere for Educational sysytem in the Country, because this curricullum is based on the competency development and improvement of the learners. But the fact is really ironic, the assessment system that was used by the government is the same with the previous curricullum, that was only focus on the Cognitive aspect, not on the Psicomotoric aspect as the base of the Competency. The Design of the curricullum is great, but the appliation of the curricullum still keeps many problems in many sides. We can imagine, though we change till a hundred times, the curricullum and the result of the education will still fight each other, because the problem actually is not on the curricullum but on the Application on the Curricullum. Since the Curricullum nowadays is changed to KTSP, the school with all educators has more right to be craetive in improving the basic curricullum that has been given by the Government. But The last moment we see, everywhere in this country, before and after the National Examination, always become the shocking moment for The Minister of National education, every schools, teachers/educators, students and or even their parents. They only care and worry about SCORE, and no worry about the FUTURE. When the percentage is good the country seems in a great happiness, but when the percentage is not satisfiying, the Government will try to find the Solution HOW TO INCREASE THE STUDENTS’ SCORE, and not about HOW TO INCREASE THE STUDENTS ABILITY AND SKILLS for their future. What do you think about this?

Ahmad RA

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PANCASILA : top down and bottom up

That evening reminds me about someone that has been showed on television. He is the one who has relationship with the former president of Indonesia, Soeharto. A long history has been felt by the people of Indonesia, but since the long history has gone, the thing that is coming nowadays as the moment for fulfilling the result of the long history. Everyone, I believe they understand and or even memorized about five sentences, statements that show the spirit of the country, PANCASILA. Everybody knows about the sentences and they also know about the meaning about them. In this big country, in the heterogeneous life the FIVE PILLARS of the country becomes the fundamental view and spirit for the people's life. Itut, on Metro TV explains that PANCASILA becomes the highest guide for the Indonesians' life. The PANCASILA was released in the aim to cover all life aspects of Indonesians. PANCASILA is rooted from the cultural view of Indonesia. Culture and human's life are always connected each other. they cannot be separated for any reasons. Every activities and peoples' life are related to their culture, and PANCASILA as the five pillars for the people's life covers all cultural views that sticked in Indonesians' life. Every fundamental activities are covered by PANCASILA. vice versa, fundamental activities that are being done by the people will reflect the spirit of PANCASILA. Economic, Politic, Law enforcement and others are some fundamental life aspects that must reflect the spirit of PANCASILA. Nowadays, the spirit of PAncasila Seems has been gone from Indonesia people's life. Many problems are solved without any consideration with the value of the Culture and PANCASILA itself. moreover, nowadays a biggest problem that is coming down to the entire country is the Government. What is wrong with the Government? As the highest level rule makers and the leader of the country, government should give the best Example to the people about the value of Culture and Spirit of PANCASILA. But, it is very ironic, the Government that is expected to give the best everything for the people, at least keep the spirit of PANCASILA to be the highest value of life in this country, seems to be gone. The country seems lied no where, no orientation and no PILLARS in the real life. Itut Soeharto explains, many people believe that PANCASILA is the Product of ORDE LAMA and ORDE BARU, it is not right and totally wrong. PANCASILA is the product of Indonesian People, because all statements in PANCASILA are inspired by the cultural values of Idonesian people and their real life. The people who said like that are only the people that they do not know about PANCASILA itself. The previous era on the ORDE LAMA and ORDE BARU, PANCASILA seems to be stronger than the moment on recent days. The implementation of PANCASILA nowadays seems to be a theory, the central government, the house of representatives in Senayan only talk loud about the highest Value of Pancasila, but they never try to touch the real meaning of Pancasila. The life of Indonesian seems no guide because of the Government has lost the supreme guide of the View of life in the country. Itut says that, The Government never practices Bottom-Up, from the grass-root people then bring to the top of the government. this condition is really happened in this country, the fact prove that prosperity, health, education become the biggest problems for Indonesian People. Why? because Government never try to touch the problem by Bottom-Up order. Means, the government nowadays are only talking and tlaking about the theory of PANCASILA and the Value of Life, but NOTHING to do after that. Different with the previous Governments, Soekarno-Soeharto put the View of Life in Indonesia as the fundamental life view in the Country. They Practiced clearly from the Bottom-Up order in applying the Value of PANCASILA, because it is rooted from the Cultural value of Indonesian. It is the Biggest problem that we have faced until this moment, seems to be a little problem but it is the highest problem that needs the most priority solution. No, matter how complicated the problem of the Country, but government Should solve the problem immediately, "And the most important thing, the Government Must Come Back to the Basic and Fundamental View in seeing Pancasila, They Must do apply the PANCASILA from the BOTTOM to UP   not from the theory of TOP to DOWN".


ahmad RA

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