National Education Day is a moment for critical reflection on whether Indonesian schools are equipping students with the soft knowledge and life skills they need in this era’s future. In her book, “Life Skills for All Learners: How to Teach, Assess, and Report Education’s New Essentials”, education expert Antarina SF Amir, granddaughter of Ki Hadjar Dewantara, tackles this issue.
The book, compiled by Antarina, Thomas R. Guskey and the Redea Institute team, discusses eight fundamental life skills that need to be taught from early childhood to high school. They are Meta Level Reflection, Expert Thinking, Creativity and Innovation, Adaptability and Agility, Audience Center Communication, Synergistic Collaboration, Empathetic Social Skills, and Ethical Leadership.
Having been recently invited to speak at international education conferences in Hong Kong and New York to present her book, Antarina spoke that these basic skills will be the foundation for students to learn independently, collaborate with others, and understand and process information in various sciences.
According to her, while Gen Z digital natives are often considered tech-savvy, their true digital literacy can be hindered by a lack of Meta Level Reflection and Expert Thinking. As such, they may become passive consumers of unethical technology, easily influenced by disinformation, along with being less able to responsibly and productively leverage technology for innovation and problem solving.
Another of her main points was that education should focus on developing soft skills relevant to the needs of today’s increasingly complex and connected world, allowing students to innovate and adapt to changing challenges beyond using technical abilities. With social empathy and ethical leadership, or intellectual intelligence and sociomoral sensitivity, they can deal with and overcome global issues like disinformation, intolerance and humanitarian crises.
Antarina also stressed that strengthening character and values is not limited to select subjects but integrable into the learning process with school curriculums and activities, such as extracurriculars, group projects, and daily school interactions like eating lunch together. This approach allows students to internalise these values in real experiences and positive social interactions.
Interestingly, Antarina advocates for Ki Hajar Dewantara’s 3N philosophy in her book, which consists of Niteni (observing), Nirokke (imitating), and Nambahi (developing). She explains that it describes a dynamic, continuous learning process, which she touts as insightful for building an excellent generation.
Niteni underscores the importance of careful observation and paying attention to the surrounding environment. Nirokke demonstrates following or learning from good examples as being part of the learning process. And most importantly, Nambahi encourages going beyond imitation, to develop, add, and create something new.
“This philosophy emphasises that education is not just about transferring knowledge, but also developing creativity, innovation, and critical thinking skills,” Antarina explained. Students are not only expected to receive information, but also to process it, develop it, and create new knowledge.
It is Antarina’s belief that Ki Hajar Dewantara’s 3N philosophy is especially relevant in a world of information and rapid change; with the ability to observe, learn from examples and innovate becoming increasingly important. While she admitted that the journey to achieve ideal education is not easy, she sees progress and increasing awareness among education stakeholders.
“The important thing is that the desire and awareness for it are already directed,” Antarina declared, highlighting the importance of well-intentioned, continuous efforts.
