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| Dyah Worowirastri Ekowati S.Pd., M.Pd. attending a certain seminar (Photo: Special) |
The new academic year is just around the corner. Parents are also preparing the best for their children's education. Interestingly, the issue of eliminating the Baca Tulis Hitung (Calistung) (the reading, writing, arithmetic) test to enter elementary school. Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Makarim emphasized that the selection of new students for grade 1 should not be based on reading, writing, or arithmetic tests.
Looking at this phenomenon, lecturer at the Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan (FKIP) (Trans: Faculty of Teacher Training and Education), University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) Dyah Worowirastri Ekowati S.Pd., M.Pd. also spoke up. She thinks eliminating the calistung test for prospective elementary school students is good. This is because the nature of the school is a place to play which comes from the Greek "skhole," which means free time for fun.
"If the calistung test is used as one of the elementary school enrollment criteria, it will certainly place restrictions on prospective students to be proficient and smart in their fields. This also has the potential to burden children who actually have potential and expertise in other fields. In addition, it can shift the nature of children at the age of pre-school students who should come to school to play and have fun," said Dyah.
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Furthermore, the provision of calistung material can be excluded from the compulsory curriculum but is sufficient at the level of natural activities. Calistung is also not a formal demand and a requirement for the next class.
However, abandoning calistung skills is not the right thing to do either. It can even become dangerous and threaten a child's future if they are not introduced. So there is a need for special methods to be given to early childhood. Methods that do not make big demands on the child.
"The test at the beginning of school entry aims to recognize the potential and abilities of children. Later on, the learning process and methods implemented are in accordance with what the child likes and is interested in," she added.
In the end, Dyah said character education would be much more important and meaningful for early childhood than cognitive education. Good manners and morals will become good habits if done since childhood. For example, practicing orderly queuing, apologizing when wrong, and saying thank you when getting help from others.
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"The important thing is not to leave the responsibility of educating children to formal school institutions only. There needs to be a balance and support from the surrounding environment such as family and society. All strategies and systems planned by the government are for the progress of the nation in the field of education. This will be in vain if it is not done massively and simultaneously by all elements," he concluded. (Put/Bah/Wil)
