Alternative Education Program

Exposure to Bandung: Bandung Nature School (SAB), ‘Taboo’ Creative Room and Saung Angklung Udjo

Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta held an Alternative Education training program. This program is motivated by the fact that education is the rights of everyone in Indonesia, but in fact education is still a luxurious opportunity. With a GNP (Gross National Product) of $ 174, this means $ 0.8 per capita, Indonesia still has to fight hard to get a decent level of education.

Thousands of islands scattered throughout Indonesia bring difficulties in providing the same standards and facilities for education. There are many disadvantaged areas, especially those in difficult areas such as mountains and remote areas, for example in eastern part of Indonesia. Although education requires facilities to achieve quality, in order to get the essence of education, a person is required to seek alternative education. The emergence of alternative education was formed because of concerns toward education in Indonesia.

The objectives of the Alternative Education Program are 1) Finding alternative education models that inspire participants to carry out alternative education in remote areas by bringing local content. 2) The inspiration is expected to stimulate activists for non-formal education delivery. 3) Ability to map educational potencies and obstacles in their home regions. In order to realize these goals, the training participants did exposure by visiting Bandung Nature School (SAB), Taboo Creative Room, Dago Pojok, Bandung and Saung Angklung Udjo in Bandung, on September 23-25, 2011

The journey to Bandung Nature School (SAB) started from Dago Atas bus station, walk to the west and then follow the path to SAB area. At SAB we met Eko Kurnianto, the pioneer and manager of SAB. He is from Kutoarjo, Central Java and since 1998 he began studying nature schools. In 2007 he began looking for academic experience about nature schools by pursuing master degree.

Indeed this school limited the number of students, such a student quota, as a consequence to make education run optimally. Regarding mentoring students, their sense of criticism is not restricted, even children are trained to be critical to problems. SAB was established as a form of resistance from conventional education which is considered has silenced the critical power and creativity of the nation's generation. From kindergarten to college, students are educated not to be critical and creative. For example, students who are critical of the rector's policy will be threatened with DO, or elementary students who are critical and creative are considered naughty children and troublemakers because they want to state something different. Students who often ask questions are considered to disturb class peace.

Regarding the curriculum at SAB, it emphasizes the learning process that is delivered actively and fun, because in general, children will prefer to be in an informal, open and free space compared to a formal atmosphere, closed with a special environment. Learning resources can be taken from natural objects, the nature itself because inspirations in the world of education are always through nature, the emergence of nature. There are only two curriculum here that is curriculum created by the teacher, and by the children themselves.

Doing creativity in an open and free school environment, children can enjoy their school time, so that the development of their creativity and abilities becomes more effective. This process can be done under a tree, like a school at the past, or on the edge of a pond, but don't jump into it. Actually in such process, the teacher is more  accurately called as education facilitator.