By: Ridwan Putra Khalan )*
Radicalism already exists in the educational environment when a school principal is proven to be a member of a terrorist group. Radicalism in the educational environment must be prevented so that students are not brainwashed and become potential terrorists. The community fully supports the prevention of radicalism and intolerance in schools, so that students do not aspire to become potential terrorists.
School is a place to receive a good education, and a teacher is highly respected because he teaches science to students. While the principal leads the educational institution so that it gets better and has many achievements.
But it’s a shame that at this time radicalism already exists in the educational environment, when a teacher at a school in Gunung Kidul, DI Yogyakarta, taught racist and radical slogans. In addition, there was an elementary school principal with the initials AR who was arrested by the authorities because he was proven to be a member of a radical group.
Therefore radicalism in the school environment must be prevented so that students’ minds are not poisoned by terrorism and radicalism. In Solo, a non-governmental organization called Solo Bersymphoni, disseminates hasthalak (eight behaviors) as an effort to prevent radicalism in schools.
The chairman of Solo Bersymphoni, Farid Sunarto, stated that his organization is committed to encouraging regulations that suppress the emergence of intolerance and radicalism. There are 100 volunteers in Solo Raya who socialize my hasthalaku, which contains: friendly guyub, grapyak (friendly), valley manah (humble), ewuh pakewuh (politeness), andhap asor (humble), tepa selira (supporting the feelings of others).
In a sense, if students understand the meaning of my hasthala and apply it in everyday life, they will live in harmony and be friendly to others. They are also tolerant, which is the basis of tolerance. That way, the students will not be intolerance and understand that everyone has the right to have differences.
If the students are full of tolerance then they will not be affected by radicalism. The reason is because radical groups are always racist and intolerant, and their understanding is rejected by these students.
Then, parents must be vigilant so that their children are not exposed to radicalism at school. Therefore, before sending children to a school (both public and private), the background of the teachers and principals must be seen.
To find out whether an educational institution is radical or not, parents can research it. If you haven’t registered yet, you can ask for a school tour and see the inside of the school. Usually, radical educational institutions do not display Pancasila posters, Garuda birds, and do not display photos of the president and vice president. There is also no flagpole waving red and white, because radical groups do not love the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Jepara Regent Dian Kristiandi stated that students and teachers must be aware of radicalism in schools. The reason is because according to a survey, there are more than 10% of schools exposed to radicalism.
In a sense, radicalism in the educational environment is very dangerous because it can poison the minds of innocent students, especially if they are still in elementary school. Don’t let children dream of becoming terrorists and bombing public facilities. They must be free from radicalism that can damage the nation.
To prevent radicalism in the educational environment, several methods can be used. First, there is a need for an anti-radicalism curriculum that teaches all about radicalism, so that students can know its characteristics. No need to be afraid to teach them about the history of radicalism, its organizations, etc. The reason is because after understanding it, they will avoid it.
The second way is media literacy education. Students are not only taught how to read and write book reviews. But they are also given knowledge of media literacy, especially in online media. Currently there are online media created by radical groups, which deliberately spread hoaxes and propaganda, with the aim of finding supporters from netizens throughout Indonesia.
If students understand media literacy, they will not be easily provoked by propaganda and are determined to be anti-hoax. They know how to differentiate between real news and fake news. Once you understand it, you will teach it to your parents at home, so that more people understand digital media literacy.
The third way is to teach students to think critically. Teachers must teach it because they don’t just require students to be silent and write during lessons. Critical thinking skills are needed because they will realize that radicalism and terrorism are wrong, because they think that what is taught by radical groups is excessive. There cannot be a caliphate because Indonesia is a pluralist country.
If ordinary students think critically and are given space to argue, even debate, then they will grow into strong and intelligent individuals. If there is persuasion from radical groups it will not work, because they are very critical and question, what is so great about the caliphate system? This system is only suitable in a monarchy country, while Indonesia is a democracy.
The community must be aware of the spread of radicalism in the educational environment because there was a school principal who was proven to be a member of a terrorist group. Don’t let children not study, but instead educate them to be violent radicals. Therefore, choose the right school and not be exposed to radicalism.
)* The author is a contributor to Nusantara Reading Room