The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbud Ristek) publishes various student-oriented educational policies. Several rules and policies have been issued, such as the Minister of Education and Culture Regulation (Permendikbud) Number 82 of 2015 concerning Prevention of Bullying in Schools, the Pancasila Student Profile policy, and the implementation of the Independent Curriculum. These are some of the components that are derived from the policy of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology in creating a safe, healthy, and fun learning atmosphere in schools.
Responding to these various rules/policies, the Principal of the Integrated Islamic Senior High School (SMA IT) Ukhuwah, Banjarmasin, Khairul Hadi revealed that his party is actively participating in anti-bullying campaigns. He even maintains that the campaign can be well received by the school ecosystem. “Often, allegations of bullying are initiated by pranks or jokes from fellow students without any intention to injure the dignity of others. Therefore, we are committed that this alleged anti-statutory case is handled properly, fairly, and prioritizes anticipatory steps,” he explained when receiving a working visit from the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology in the IT Ukhuwah High School Hall, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan (Kalsel), Thursday (21/7). .
Principal Khairul Hadi further said that generally the perpetrators of bullying are those who want to get attention and recognition from the surrounding environment. According to him, to eliminate the superior and inferior stigma among students, all students should be given equal opportunities to show their role in school. Not to forget, for the achievement of positive student results, teachers also need to give praise.
“How can we raise students’ self-confidence so that they have the same opportunities? For example, for students who are shy in class, we can invite their opinion by asking open-ended questions. Then, give appreciation,” he added. Because he believes that all humans deserve education, schools should be a means for students to grow and develop both in terms of knowledge and behavior.
Furthermore, the teachers who are involved as anti-bullying facilitators at SMA IT Ukhuwah, namely Nurul Hikmah and Isna Susilowati, explained the process of implementing anti-bullying in their schools. As a first step, they trained 30 bullying agents who were previously democratically elected by all students.
They were trained for three months to understand the types of bullying, how to deal with it, including materials on leadership values, and how to communicate effectively. This training is not only theoretical in nature but students are also invited to direct practice.
“Every meeting is evaluated. In total there are 10 meetings every two weeks for three months. After the evaluation is complete, the training ends with a Roots Day activity which is the culmination of the prevention and protection program for bullying actions carried out in schools which are generally carried out by pilot schools,” explained Nurul.
Isna Susilowati added that prior to the implementation of the training for agents of change, in order to maintain consistency in the implementation of this program, schools held a vote to select students who became agents of change. Later, there will be two representatives from each class who are tasked with socializing, being an example and assisting in solving cases of bullying in schools. Isna explained that bullying cases at IT Ukhuwah High School were handled in stages.
“This change agent is the vanguard in dealing with alleged cases of bullying, if the problem cannot be resolved between friends, the homeroom teacher will help. If not, it will be handled by the BK teacher to the principal. But so far everything has been resolved well in the internal scope of the school,” he said.
The practice of this anti-bullying program is one of the values of the Pancasila Student Profile implemented in schools. Through these good practices, children can learn by experiencing them firsthand with their peers. This is the essence of the Independent Curriculum which in principle can be applied flexibly in the entire learning process.
Muhammad Zaini, a grade 11 student who is a member of the Intra-School Student Organization (OSIS) and serves as a member of the Cultural Affairs Section, said he was pleased with the presence of the Independent Curriculum. “We are involved in many projects and learning practices so that the learning atmosphere is not boring,” he said.
In line with that, Muhammad Rizky Aditya Putra, an 11th grade student who serves as Secretary II, OSIS SMA IT Ukhuwah hopes that the already good Merdeka Curriculum can run continuously so that the benefits can be felt not only in his school but also in other schools. “I am happy with the Merdeka Curriculum because it does not make me feel burdened with learning. On the other hand, I like to be involved in academic and non-academic school projects,” explained Rizky.
Not only in South Kalimantan, the teacher at SMP N 7 Makassar, South Sulawesi, Sri Sunarlin is also grateful for the Merdeka Curriculum which according to him can develop the potential of students not only in terms of academics but also non-technical skills (soft skills) and character strengthening. “We are very happy because here students and teachers are given the space to collaborate to create certain outputs. Moreover, students are given the freedom to choose which projects they want to do,” explained the Coordinator of the Anti Bullying Team explaining when receiving the Kemendikbud, Research and Technology group in mid-July.
He believes that the spirit of partisanship of the Independent Curriculum which is oriented towards students through a humanist approach will have more impact on the students themselves. Guru Sri revealed that the challenges faced can be overcome with the involvement of parents who support the learning process. Thus, a fun school for children can be created thanks to the cooperation of the entire educational ecosystem.
Good communication with parents was also built by the principal and teachers at SMP N 7 Makassar. According to the school principal Muhammad Nasir, in facilitating the parents of students, the school builds a classroom community. Interaction between teachers and parents is carried out in the community. One of the commitments echoed by Nasir is that schools facilitate fun learning, fulfill children’s rights, there are no illegal fees, and take sides with students and parents. “Until now, we have never heard any complaints from parents,” said Nasir.
The communication built between schools and parents, said Nasir, was more intense when the Merdeka Curriculum was implemented at SMP N 7 Makassar. The children’s independent learning patterns and many activities outside the classroom were felt by the children to be very enjoyable. The fun turns out to be up to parents when their children are eager to learn. And it is proven that during the new student admissions period (PPDB), the number of students enrolling in this school increased significantly.
Nasir admitted that he often received testimonials from parents of students whose children wanted to enter SMP N 7 Makassar. These parents, said Nasir, feel that the children who attend school here have good character and are always eager to learn. “We support the Independent Curriculum in schools which in its implementation contains the values of the Pancasila Student Profile because through various projects carried out by students, we can catch up with learning. This method is proven to help students better understand the learning material in a more fun way,” explained Nasir.
One of the VIII B1 student representatives who became an agent of change, Wira Arya Pratama, expressed his pleasure because as an agent of change he could participate in creating a safe and comfortable school environment for all students. “If there are free hours, we use them to carry out anti-bullying campaigns so that friends are educated to avoid bullying at school and in the community,” explained Wira.
In addition to the anti-bullying program, SMP N 7 Makassar also organizes other learning projects, namely entrepreneurship, Kelong local wisdom, water purification projects, composters and organic fertilizers, the voice of democracy, anti-global warming, and so on.***