The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology officially issued Regulation Number 12 of 2024 regarding the Curriculum for Early Childhood Education (PAUD), Elementary, and Secondary Education. Interestingly, the once mandatory Scout extracurricular has been removed from the Extra Curricular Subject Time Allocation list.
An education policy observer from UGM, Dr. Subarsono, responded calmly to this change. For him, if the removal is based on academic studies, it shouldn’t be a problem.
“The key is that whatever extracurricular it is, as long as it’s directed towards helping educate children, it should be fine. I respond to it softly because extracurricular activities can be mandatory or voluntary,” he said at the UGM Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisipol UGM) on Wednesday (Apr. 3).
He mentioned that Scouting used to be mandatory but has since become optional. Therefore, the nature of extracurriculars should constantly be reviewed to see if they support the core curriculum. With the global changes and people living in the digital and globalized era, it is appropriate to think about providing extracurriculars related to digital literacy.
“For instance, how to use digital technology, internet browsing, big data, etc. I think it’s fine to withdraw Scouting from being mandatory,” he explained.
Although removing it from mandatory status will have an impact, it should be understood that the world has changed. Students live in the digital and globalized era, so providing lessons that enhance intelligence, such as using digital devices, would be more relevant.
“They will be better able to respond to global changes, such as building networks, collaborating, communicating in foreign languages, and I think that is far more important than Scouting,” he clarified.
Regarding life skills taught in Scouting, Dr. Subarsono mentioned that today’s children already learn independence because they are accustomed to smartphones from an early age. Without being taught by anyone (including parents), they can find information using smartphones.
So, today’s children have autonomy, and the teamwork aspect of Scouts can still be obtained individually through smartphones. He mentioned that a Scout teacher is typically someone competent in Scouting, and the challenge now is to find extracurricular teachers who match the latest extracurricular subjects.
“If you want to provide extracurriculars related to digital topics, find teachers familiar with digital fields. Or, if necessary, upgrade old Scout teachers to be able to teach the new extracurriculars,” he suggested.
Dr. Subarsono acknowledged that digital infrastructure varies in each region, so he suggested that in remote areas, appropriate extracurricular activities could be conducted in villages or rural areas.
For example, those in coastal villages could be given new extracurricular activities related to swimming, fishing, or fish processing, among other things.
“I believe this way, they will gain soft skills so that, as adults, they can manage their environment, catch and process fish, and so on. In essence, instead of Scouting, they can have more current extracurriculars or ones that can tap into their surrounding potentials,” he added.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Photo: Duta TV