The Relevance of Ki Hadjar Dewantara's Ideas to Character Education in the 2013 Indonesian Curriculum

Abstract

The Indonesian curriculum for 2013 places a strong emphasis on character education. This is because some feel that the morals and character of the nation have been eroding. It can be argued that this tendency began during the Dutch colonial period, when pupils were subjected to moral judgment. During this time, Ki Hadjar Dewantara’s ideas served as a springboard for restoring a spirit of education in Indonesia that was just and respected adab, regardless of one’s origin. The goal of this research was to compare Ki Hadjar Dewantara’s ideas with the character education curriculum of 2013. This study employed a qualitative methodology with a comparative study strategy. The findings showed that character education in the 2013 curriculum, as well as Ki Hadjar Dewantara’s ideas, can be starting points for restoring Indonesia’s educational spirit to a higher level of quality. Students who are both ethically and academically brilliant, who have a high level of scientific knowledge and respect ethical and moral principles should be praised.
 Keywords: character education, Ki Hadjar Dewantara, curriculum 2013