BIOGRAPHY OF KI HAJAR DEWANTARA

 BIOGRAPHY OF KI HAJAR DEWANTARA 

Ki Hajar Dewantara, nicknamed the Father of National Education, was a hero who contributed to the world of education in Indonesia during the Dutch colonial period.  Ki Hajar Dewantara was born with the real name Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat.  He was born in Yogyakarta on May 2, 1889. Born to the couple Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo Sooeryaningrat and R.A Sandiah, Ki Hajar Dewantara was a descendant of the royal aristocrat of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono I.

 For his services and sacrifices in the world of education, the date of his birth, May 2, is designated as National Education Day in Indonesia.

 The following is a biographical review of the Father of National Education, Ki Hajar Dewantara, which is quoted from Ki Hadjar Dewantara's Educational Thought: A Study of the Among System in the Educational Process by Haryati, S.Pd.  M.Si (2019: 6).

Life Journey of Ki Hajar Dewantara

Since childhood, Ki Hajar Dewantara was a lively, brave, and sociable child.  He was not ashamed to meet children of Indo-Dutch descent.

After being deemed old enough, his father enrolled him in the Dutch III Elementary School.  In this place, indigenous children and Dutch descent mingle to gain knowledge.  As a result, Ki Hajar Dewantara was fluent in Dutch.

 After graduating and getting the best predicate, he continued his education at the Yogyakarta Teacher School (KweekSchool).  His passion for studying education began to take shape in his personality.  However, he only lasted about one year there.

 In 1905 Ki Hajar Dewantara continued his studies at the STOVIA Jakarta medical school.  During college, he was active in organizational activities with his friends.  He is a member of the Boedi Oetomo organization whose political movement is quite worried about by the Dutch.

 After being active in organizations, he also got to know Soetomo, Douwes Dekker, Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo, and other important movement figures.  He was also a part of the Indische Partij, a political party formed by Douwes Dekker, a foreign descendant who fueled the spirit of anti-colonialism.

Busy activities outside the campus became an obstacle in Ki Hajar Dewantara's lectures.  In mid 1909, he was forced to leave Stovia.  One of the reasons was because Ki Hajar Dewantara's parents could not afford his college tuition.  However, this failure did not make KI Hajar Dewantara despair.

Writing skills

 Ki Hajar Dewantara is also good at writing.  His name is increasingly popular in the country through his writings which are quite heavy and thick with nuances of struggle and defense for the interests of the people.

 Sometimes his writings also included criticism of Dutch government policy.  His work, entitled "Als ik een Nederlander wes" or "If I Am a Dutchman" was able to harass the Dutch.  Finally, the Dutch were furious and threw Ki Hajar Dewantara into prison, precisely in the area of ​​Bangka Island.

Founder of Taman Siswa

 Besides being exiled to Bangka Island, Ki Hajar Dewantara was also exiled to the Netherlands.  But this exile made him think more critically about education.

 Ki Hajar Dewantara had received a Europeeche certificate or diploma in education.  This is what became the provision for Ki Hajar Dewantara to start the educational institution he founded and also influence him in developing educational regulations.

 Upon arrival in Indonesia, Ki Hajar Dewantara founded the Taman Siswa organization.  The aim of the formation of this organization was to ensure that all indigenous children continued to receive learning that was equal to that of priyayi and the Dutch community in Indonesia at that time.

 There are three slogans of Ki Hajar Dewantara who were famous when he founded Taman Siswa.  The motto reads: "Ing Ngarso Sung Tulodho (in the front giving an example), Ing Madya Mangun Karso (in the middle of giving encouragement), and Tut Wuri Handayani (behind giving encouragement)."

As is well known, Tut Wuri Handayani's motto has become the slogan of the Ministry of Education to this day.