SanggarAM Alam (SALAM) in Yogyakarta has a research-based curriculum, bringing schools closer to life, and freeing their students.
The breeze from the fields infiltrated through the bamboo wall cavity to the classroom in Sanggar Anak Alam (SALAM). There were no rows of stiff seats, in that room there was only one long wooden table worn together like a table at home. Nane, one of the seventh graders was sitting reading a book about herbs. This semester he chose research on herbal medicine, "Last semester I research about plants, just this semester I developed research on herbal plants. Later pengin make cough medicine itself. "Books that he holds decorated folds at the ends of the page.
Sitting beside him, Jeno is researching about Salsa Dance. He is sketching a colorful costume dancer. There is also Ellena who learn about organic shampoo, Nile who examines coffee, and other friends who are busy with their respective activities. There is no command of the teacher to open a book on a particular page or class exam every week, that is the daily routine of school at SALAM.
In SALAM, subjects in formal schools are actually considered to be boxes that restrict students' exploratory instincts. Not enough with the limit, students are forced to meet the burden of a very heavy value. Swallowing the sciences they really do not need. "In formal school I see that they learn a lot of things that are not yet right at their age. For example, elementary school children studying the duties of the MPR-DPR, the procedure of finding ID cards, Election, what to do? What for? They should learn about themselves, their potential, what they do, and their basic needs, "Wahya said.
Wahya's awareness of an ineffective model of education first emerged when he followed the activities of Father Mangun (YB Mangunwijaya) on the banks of Code River, Yogyakarta. However, the embryo SALAM precisely he forms in the area Lawen, Banjarnegara. At that time he newly married decided to move there. At Lawen who was still a remote village, he saw many children dropping out of school, getting married early, and high levels of poverty. Finally, in 1988 formed the first SALAM with learning group format.
According to him, people in the village are not motivated to send their children to school, because usually when the children have become school students, they do not want to help families in the fields. "We are an agrarian country, but the government even make a hand washing program with soap, the impression the soil is so dirty and unhygienic. The child gets away with the rice fields. In Papua, too, their legs had nothing to do with thorns in the forest, but since there was a school then they were obliged to wear shoes to be spoiled, not even plain into the forest again. Though it's their environment. In my opinion, the school actually deprives them of their roots, keeping them away from the real environment and life.
The establishment of SALAM in Yogya was gradual and continues to grow organically. In its first year, SALAM only opened teenage mentoring classes every afternoon. Only in 2004, PAUD (Early Childhood Education) was established and Childrens Park in 2006. Primary Elementary School (SD) also existed in 2008. Followed by Junior High School in 2011. Holding for a while, in 2017 the parents asked Wahya to establish SMA. Currently the legal status of SALAM is in the category of Teaching and Learning Activities (PKBM) as a non-formal school. This category is still under the National Education Service.
But for the sake of legality and bureaucratic affairs, SALAM students still follow the exam chase equalization package from the government. So when they are in grade 6 elementary, 3 junior high, and 3 high school they do for exam preparation is research about National Exam. But instead of answering questions, they are actually evaluating the National Exam question. "The children found many wrong UN problems, wrong answers, also many that really do not need to be asked, instead evaluate the government," Wahya story laughs. With this evaluation of the UN, they want their students not to get caught in the method of memorization.
SALAM believes that the learning and knowledge required by each child is different. Education uniformity will only kill the potential and personality of the child itself. So if a child is trapped in the education system, it is not impossible he will just be screws in the factory that anytime can be replaced with ease. Our practical and generic education leads us into industrial products, as Pink Floyd illustrates in the song "Another Brick in The Wall". As between 'educated' and 'certified' are two completely different things.
at this time, began to emerge many new alternative schools in various regions. In Yogyakarta alone, other than SALAM there are Grassroots Schools, Growing Schools, and others. Not to mention the schools that appear in other areas of Indonesia. In October 2016, several alternative Indonesian school activists gathered in SALAM to form the Alternative Education Network and the National Alternative Education Meeting to spread this spirit to the wider public.