Yogyakarta – In order to celebrate the Day of National Education (Hari Pendidikan Nasional/Hardiknas) on May 02, 2015, the Central Executive of Ikatan Pelajar Muhammadiyah held an education reflection as well as the launching for a book entitled “Pendidikan Insani” that took place in the hall of Muhammadiyah Central Executive, Yogyakarta on Saturday (05/02).
Pendidikan Insanithat was sponsored by PP IPM was written by IPM activists from the Central Executive to Sub-district Executive, and also some academicians and public figures such as the director of Maarif Institut Fajar Riza Ul Haq who also contributed his thoughts. The 144-paged book also included the critical notes and hopes for education of Indonesia, such as the problems of National Examination (Ujian Nasional/UN), curriculum, study, radicalism of education, and so on. The book was a gift from IPM that was given to the Minister of Education and Culture, Anies Baswedan in order to celebrate the Day of National Education. “We hope that the book will be able to give some suggestions to the Minister of Education and Culture to improve the education to a better level. Moreover, some writers are the junior and senior high school students who were the research object in schools for the book,” said the General Chairman of PP IPM, M. Khoirul Huda.
Besides book launching that was attended by dozens of students and college students of Yogyakarta, they also held book discussion of “Gerbang Para Pemimpi: Strategi meraih beasiswa dan studi lanjut diluar negeri” written by Hilman Latif, Ph.D who was also the lecturer of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta. In his presentation, Mas Hilman—his popular nickname—encouraged the participants to always reach for higher education both in the country or and overseas. He also gave some strategies and tips and tricks to acquire scholarship for overseas study.
By the end of the event, some students gave their testimonial and comments on the current education system in Indonesia. In the summary delivered by the General Chairman of PP IPM, he expressed his demands to the Minister of Education and Culture, Anies Baswedan: first, to realize free education from elementary to senior high school level; second, to solve the problem of curriculum and National Examination; third, to improve the quality of facilities and infrastructure of education especially in remote areas; fourth, to completely eradicate discrimination and violence; and fifth, to banish all forms of corruption within education sector. (mzq)