UGM to Hold Congress on Education, Teaching and Culture

YOGYAKARTA – Center for Pancasila Studies UGM is to hold a congress entitled Education, Teaching and Culture from 7-8 May 2012 at Grha Sabha Pramana. The congress will discuss national policy and education strategy, basic concepts of education and its applications as well as education in the development of civilization and culture. The Congress on the theme ‘The Character Development through Education, Teaching, and Culture in Facing Globalization’ invited participants from the State and Private Universities, teachers, lecturers, researchers, students, bureaucrats, legislators, politicians and community leaders.

Steering committee chairman, Prof. Dr. dr. Sutaryo, Sp.A (K)., said the purpose of this congress is to re-unite the concept of education, teaching and national culture. The education, teaching and culture are currently performed separately. Meanwhile, the purpose of education and teaching should be for culture, i.e, to humanize man by nationality. "If the philosophy is separated, the laws and implementation will be separated, too, all the three should not be separated," Sutaryo said to reporters on Monday (12/3).
 
Sutaryo said education is implemented to promote the development of character, mind and children growth through national identity-based education which can uplift national dignity to glorify all men. The education is carried out to give science and skills in order to advance the intelligence of the mind and character development.
 
"This is what distinguishes the Oriental concept  from Western education. The focus of the Western teaching system is intellectual, while the Oriental system is to develop the intellectual and moral character," he said.

Chairman of the organizing committee, Dr. Kunjana Rahardi, M. Hum., said the congress will produce recommendation to policy makers. "The results will be submitted to the policy makers in order to put our national education back to its initial place (back to khittah)," the professor of Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta said.

The congress which will be opened by UGM Rector presents two keynote speakers, namely Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and the Minister of Education and Culture, Professor. Dr. Muhammad Nuh. Some speakers invited to attend are KH. Mustofa Bisri, Dik Doank, Dr. Anies Baswedan, Prof. Dr. Malik Fadjar and Prof. Dr. Sri Edi Swasono.