YOGYAKARTA, The potential quality of Indonesia is no less than that in some neighboring countries, such as Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand. At least it is visible in the Human Development Index in 2010 that the quality of Indonesian human resources is the 138th of 152 countries surveyed. Unfortunately, this potential has not been managed properly and appropriately. One way to improve the potential is through education.
This was delivered by Dr. Agung Budiharjo, MS, an alumnus of S-3 Program of Faculty Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, in a workshop Improving Professionalism of Educators, Biology Study Program of Graduate Program held at Lower Conference Room of the Faculty on Tuesday (26/4). The event which is a series of Indonesia Managing Higher Education for Relevance and Efficiency (I-MHERE) program of Faculty of Biology was attended by about 65 teachers from Yogyakarta and Central Java.
Speakers of the event were the Head of Secondary and Higher Education, Drs. Alip Suhardjo, M.Pd., Dean of Faculty of Biology, Dr. Retno Peni Sancayaningsih, M.Sc., Head of Biology TeachersAssociation of Purworejo Regency, Cahyo Winarno, S.Pd., student of S-2 Biology Graduate Program, Nur Widayati, S.Pd., and Dr. Suwarno Hadisusanto, S.U. , Graduate Program Manager.
According to Agung, to enhance professionalism and competence, especially for biology educators, is by continuing their education to pursue higher degrees. There are three important reasons for this. First, current technological developments will require everyone to adjust. He exemplified that 15 years ago biology subject in high schools did not touch molecular biology. Meanwhile, the current rapid progress of molecular biology has penetrated into various fields so that high school students should also be equipped with this knowledge.
Second, the current society has higher level of intelligence. The development of information technology and media provide advantages, one of them is to improve the intelligence of the community. Third, the existing problems are more complex. "This demands us to have more ability to deal with the situation," he explained.
Meanwhile, Dr. Retno Peni Sancayaningsih, M.Sc said that field experience in the learning of environmental or ecology courses shows that it really needs to develop quality thinking of students to discuss the destruction of natural ecosystems from various aspects, namely ecological, economic, social, and political aspects as well as justice. This is a comprehensive assessment of learning outcome because the nature of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) ensures the unity of cognitive, affective, and aesthetic dimensions that are reinforced through networks between related organisations of conservation, nature, and learning of ESD in higher education. "Through ESD, this is expected to be a comprehensive assessment of learning outcome," Peni said.
The integration of ESD in the course of Environmental Sciences at Faculty of Biology has been executed, as with the presentation of ESD case of tentrem (peaceful) village in the two meetings by presenting Woworuntu Iskandar, conservation activist and pioneer of tentrem village, to give a lecture.
Previously, Executive Director of I-MHERE UGM, Dr. Ir. Cahyono Agus Dwi Koranto, M.Agr.Sc. in his speech supported the ESD -based I-MHERE program to improve the professionalism of educators. UGM along with several other universities managed to obtain I-MHERE project. In addition to Biology Faculty, Faculty of Pharmacy and Forestry UGM also managed to obtain this I-MHERE fund. "This achievement could hopefully be the attraction of other faculties to continue to perform and excel," Cahyono said.