The purpose of education is not merely dealing with how to improve the quality of the intelligence of students, being able to answer national exam questions or being an expert in every school subject. Through education, we need to give birth to a generation that has strong character, personality and mental attitude. In short, the formation of students' morals is no less important than producing an intelligent and quality generation.
In the future, the government and teachers will not only require students to be smart children, reach first place and be able to answer exam questions correctly. The government and teachers also do not burden students to simply study hard in order to obtain the highest National Examination results. It is time for us to think about the character and moral education of children. Because intelligent and smart children do not necessarily have good character and personality. Smart and intelligent children do not necessarily have noble character. They need to be educated and formed from childhood, through character education and also with local wisdom. Thus, we can be proud if in the future we are able to give birth to a great generation!
Character building
Talking about character education, I think it is necessary to start early on in education. Age between 4-6 years is the time when they start to learn anything from the environment or what they see. At that age, they can be directed to be and learn anything. The existence of parents and educators, really helps them in terms of character and mental formation.
This is the basis why the government and educational institutions have begun to consider the importance of Early Childhood Education (PAUD) and Kindergarten Education (TK). Children need guides and role models. We can't imagine what their future would be like if since they started getting to know the environment, they absorbed negative things which then influenced their behavior.
Regarding how important the formation of early childhood character is, an educator and family counseling expert, Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D, wrote a wonderful poem, “Children Learn What They Live”. The poem has been translated into many languages, and is always quoted in every talk about children's character education.
In fact, for teachers who have an educator mentality (remember, not all teachers are educators), I am sure that they have read and understand the Nolte poem very well. Students who study in the teaching department often get this poem from their lecturers. Because, they are educated to become teachers and educators, and must understand how to educate and teach children starting at the smallest level of education.
For common knowledge, I would like to quote the full poem which has been translated into Indonesian by Dr Jalaluddin Rahmat (read Islam Aktual; Refleksi-sosial Seorang Cendekiawan Muslim, Mizan, Cet X, 1998). Here's what it says:
Children Learn From Their Lives
If children live with criticism, he learns cursing.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child is raised with ridicule, he learns to be humble.
If a child is raised with humiliation, he learns to feel sorry for himself.
If a child is raised with tolerance, he learns to restrain himself.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns to be confident.
If you grow a child with compliment, he will learn to appreciate.
If a child is brought up with the best treatment, he learns justice.
When a child lives with security, he learns to trust.
If a child lives with support, he learns to like himself.
If a child is raised with love and friendship, he learns to find love in life.
Reading these poems, we are no longer surprised to hear cases of many school children involved in brawls, cheating answers, likes to fight, disrespecting teachers and so on. The answer is, because that's how they were raised. There are no wrong students, but the teachers who educate them wrong. Remember the saying, "if the teacher pees standing up, the children pee while running."
Therefore, it is very important to create a friendly community environment for children's character education. Imagine, what would happen to the children if the people in their environment lived criticizing each other, living hostile lives, insulting and ridiculing each other and so on. So the generation produced by the community is not far from the generation that likes to curse, likes to fight, and has low self-esteem.
Local wisdom
One of the most important ways to shape students' character and morals is to re-adopt Acehnese local wisdom. Local wisdom can be used as a medium of education. This has long been practiced by our parents in the village, but rarely gets a place in the school room. Perhaps, because the teachers have been educated with modern methods, they do not consider local wisdom and religious teachings important.
Aceh through Law Number 11 of 2006 concerning the Government of Aceh (UUPA) actually contains the importance of character education that is adapted to regional characteristics and also the teachings of Islam, the religion embraced by the majority of the Acehnese people. Article 215 Paragraph 1 (Chapter XXX on Education) states, "Education held in Aceh is an integral part of the national education system that is adapted to the characteristics, potential, and needs of the local community."
Furthermore, it is further strengthened in Article 216 Paragraph 1, "Every Acehnese has the right to receive quality and Islamic education in line with the development of science and technology" and Paragraph 2, "Education as referred to in paragraph (1), is held based on democratic principles. and justice by upholding human rights, Islamic values, culture, and national pluralism.”
So, the formation of students' character and morals is actually not only the obligation of teachers/educationalists but also the community and the government. The teachers/educators provide character and moral education in the school room and environment, the community through the implementation of early childhood education and the social environment, while the government through educational policies.
For us in Aceh, by re-adopting local wisdom, we are actually preparing great generations, who not only have intellectual intelligence, but also have good character and morals. Look at how the Acehnese teach their children to be honest people. They are educated with strong religious knowledge, that taking the rights of others is a sin and must be cut off.
The honesty of the children who refused to admit to stealing were threatened by putting their hands in a pot of boiling oil. According to parents, if they really don't steal then the hot oil doesn't get hot when the hands are dipped. But, if they steal, then the oil will peel off their skin and flesh.
To train children to love giving and giving alms, parents quote an old Acehnese proverb that, "ureueng kriet juwiet ate, soe nyang kriet bagah mate (stingy people have a weak heart, those who are stingy die quickly)". This is one of the weapons why the Acehnese used to like to give alms and help others. For example, how the Acehnese worked hand in hand to donate rice, rice and eggs to buy planes when Indonesia was newly independent or when Indonesia experienced the monetary crisis in 1997. The Acehnese aid for the Rohingya who were stranded in Aceh was also inseparable from the existence of character education that "ureueng kriet bagah mate".
Meanwhile, to educate children not to smoke as a child, parents scare them by saying that anyone who smokes, later when the sunnah of the apostle (sorry) the tip of their penis cannot be cut with scissors, but must use a saw. With such character education, almost no children dare to try smoking. Even if there are one or two who smoke, they do it secretly and away from residential areas.
Above all, educators, the community and the Aceh government need to explore Aceh's local wisdom again as a tool for character education for students. Thus, there are no more school/college graduates who become corrupt while in power. I think that what the Head of the Aceh Education Office, Alhudri, did by threatening to fire teachers who did not force students to vaccinate against Covid-19, was not a good character education. As this is not to be imitated.