Supporting the Merdeka Belajar Curriculum at Wetar
The government launched the Merdeka Belajar Curriculum to overcome the lag due to the pandemic. BKP-BTR plays a role in socializing and facilitating training for teachers in Wetar.
The COVID-19 pandemic is not completely over. However, the signs of normal life are more and more visible. However, the situation in the last two years has left several problems for the world of education in Indonesia. As a result of students studying via the internet at home, there was a delay in achieving the 2013 Curriculum.
So that students do not get left behind, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbud and Research) mitigates by implementing the Independent Learning Curriculum which will start running in the 2022/2023 academic year in the kindergarten, elementary school, high school level. first, to high school. Minister of Education and Culture and Research Nadiem Makarim stated that this new curriculum concept would allow students to explore their respective interests and talents. For example, if two children in one family have different interests, then the benchmark value used is not the same. Children also cannot be forced to learn something they don’t like. This means that the curriculum provides autonomy and independence for students and schools.
In the Merdeka Belajar Curriculum for the high school level, there are no more majors in science, social studies, and language. Students who enter adulthood can choose subjects of interest.
According to Kemendikbud site, the Merdeka Curriculum was developed as a more flexible curriculum framework, while simultaneously focusing on essential materials and developing students’ character and competencies. The main characteristic of the curriculum that supports the recovery of this learning is project-based learning for the development of soft skills and character according to the profile of Pancasila Students. Students focus on essential material so that they have sufficient time to study in depth various basic competencies such as literacy and numeracy. Teachers are more flexible to carry out differentiated learning according to the abilities of students and adapt it to local contexts and content.
In the end, the guarantee for the continuity of the Independent Learning Curriculum lies with the teacher. The role of the teacher remains at the center of the educational process. This point is the full attention of mining and processing companies at the Wetar Copper Mine. Therefore, Batutua Kharisma Permai and Batutua Tembaga Raya (BKP-BTR) held socialization of the Independent Learning Curriculum to several teachers from schools in villages around the mine which incidentally are remote areas.
The socialization was aimed at junior and senior high schools in Lurang Village, North Wetar District, Wetar Island, Southwest Maluku Regency (MBD). The activity was carried out on two occasions: first, on April 25–26 2022, which was attended by eleven teachers from SMA Negeri 16 MBD; and second, on May 2-3, which was attended by nine teachers of One Roof Junior High School.
This activity is a realization of the collaboration between the BKP-BTR Community Empowerment and Development (PPM) program and the Indonesian CSR A+ consultant. Acting as facilitators were Mikael Jeramu and Stefanus Jelalu. In addition to bringing new curriculum materials, they also provided training and capacity building to implement the 2013 Curriculum to six teachers at SD Negeri Uhak on April 28, and five teachers at SD Negeri Lurang on May 2-3, 2022.
The socialization took place with the methods of brainstorming, exposure, and discussion. The teachers who participated were enthusiastic. The Independent Learning Curriculum is something new, participants are required to actively ask questions and have opinions. In this new curriculum, teachers are required to be more creative in generating the interest and activity of students.
BKP-BTR Senior Manager External Affairs Dicky Murod stated that the progress of the younger generation around the operational area has always been the company’s concern and concern. One of the real ways is to improve the quality of school education. In addition to increasing teacher capacity, BKP-BTR also provides scholarships for students and students from the surrounding community, classroom assistance for 16 MBD SMA, and textbooks for schools in Lurang Village and Uhak Village.
