Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) is increasingly realizing its tangible contributions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Recently, UGM’s Directorate of Community Service (DPKM), as the coordinator of the Yogyakarta Regional Center of Expertise (RCE), held a workshop and expo addressing two key issues: quality inclusive education and solutions to waste management problems.
This series of activities included panel discussions, presentations on RCE Yogyakarta’s 2024 work programs, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and a community expo at the UGM Innovation and Creativity Center (GIK UGM).
Director of DPKM UGM, Dr. Rustamaji, called on education activists, especially those from the community, to actively participate in advocating for inclusive education. He also addressed the urgent issue of waste in Yogyakarta.
“We still face challenges in sorting and recycling waste. We must acknowledge this problem and find solutions,” Dr. Rustamaji stated.
Totok Pratopo, Chair of Pemerti Kali Code and senior member of RCE Yogyakarta revealed that government support for waste management in Yogyakarta has been almost nonexistent since the pandemic.
He mentioned that the government previously supported river cleaning by paying the community, but now all efforts are concentrated in waste depots. He added that rivers have become polluted since the decentralization of waste management as people throw waste into them.
“When the roadside dumps waste, people report it, and it can be handled quickly. But what if it is dumped in the river? We don’t have CCTV—only four from the government—so we’re overwhelmed,” he explained.
He emphasized that Pemerti Kali Code is currently working to encourage people to care for the environment and love rivers, make the rivers beautiful, open springs, cultivate flowers and bees, create child-friendly villages, and establish the Pemerti Kali Code river school.
According to him, government support and community initiatives are essential in resolving Yogyakarta’s waste emergency.
On the other hand, Sidik Firmansyah, Chair of TPST Mekarsari in Banyumas, Central Java, shared how Banyumas has been addressing waste issues since 2019. Firmansyah emphasized that government support and community contributions are crucial in solving waste problems.
“We use two systems for waste collection: through waste collectors and door-to-door. In Banyumas, we also have waste banks, with some people working at the waste banks, and there is also ‘JekNyong’ (Ojek’e Inyong) that collects waste with economic value. TPST manages non-economic waste,” he said.
Inclusive Education
Yogyakarta plays an important role in education. In addition to maintaining quality, sustainability education is a key focus, requiring collaboration to tackle current educational challenges.
Dr. Suhirman, Head of the Yogyakarta Provincial Office of Education, Youth, and Sports, highlighted a government-initiated lunch program.
He noted that if the program is to continue, not only the food and its nutritional content but also the daily waste management challenges must be considered.
“Our challenges in education are very complex,” he remarked.
Dr. Gunawan Zakki, a representative from UNESCO Jakarta, recognized that education for all (inclusive) is one key to educational success. People of all backgrounds, religions, abilities, and differences must receive quality education.
However, UNESCO faces difficulties due to the lack of verified data on people with disabilities that supports policymaking.
“We gather this data from research, studies, and assessments, but unfortunately, it’s not fully verified, even though we use it to support government policies,” he explained.
Difapedia’s coordinator, Muhammad Karim Amrulloh, shared that many implementations support the realization of quality education for all.
For example, UGM and UNY have disability service units. Universities also train lecturers. Non-profit organizations like Difapedia and Desamind regularly conduct training programs to empower people with disabilities.
Meanwhile, S. R. Widyastuti, founder of Sekolah Tumbuh, explained that the school’s extracurricular, co-curricular, and intramural activities are similar to those of other schools.
However, there are differences in how they integrate these activities to ensure that all children, regardless of their needs, can effectively receive the material. Important adaptations include curriculum and learning environment adjustments.
Curriculum adaptation involves two aspects: substitution, where Sekolah Tumbuh replaces irrelevant material with content more suited to the student’s abilities, and modification, where they simplify competencies or learning objectives based on assessments.
“For environmental adaptation, Sekolah Tumbuh pays great attention to inclusive classroom management, appropriate language use, and providing adequate facilities,” she concluded.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Photographer: DPKM UGM
Post-editor: Afif