Juara 1 - Education, the Gateway for the 2045 Golden Indonesia

The year 2045 will be a historic momentum for Indonesia. In this year Indonesia will commemorate its 100 years of independence Supported by the demographic bonus with 70% of the people will be of productive ages, Indonesia comes up with a great idea of the Vision 2045 which is also known as the 2045 Golden Indonesia. With the four key pillars of development Indonesia aspires to become a sovereign, progressive, just, and prosperous developed country. Yet, there are a number of challenges to deal with in realizing the vision So, Indonesia needs to prepare its young generation to become excellent human capitals for the 2045 Golden Indonesia. Undeniably, education plays central roles in building excellent human resources This essay will address some challenges facing Indonesia to meet the Vision 2045 and how education plays very important roles in preparing students as the young generation to deal with the challenges towards 2045 Golden Indonesia.

The first challenge is concerned with the VUCA situation. The term VUCA is used to describe a situation which tends to keep changing and is full of uncertainty and ambiguity so that it is hard to control or to predict. This situation happens as the result of rapid digital transformation or technology in almost all aspects of human life. Experts say that this unfavorable condition will keep happening in the future along with the advance of technology Dealing with such condition, Indonesian young people need to be equipped with a number of skills, both hard and soft skills that enable them to adapt to the changes, explore new things, take advantages from them and change them into an opportunity that enable them to survive

Seeing this condition, obviously, Indonesian education should teach the students not only knowledge but also relevant skills required to live in their future age. The 21st century skills, Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity are definitely to be practiced in all levels of education. Students should be practiced how to communicate their ideas appropriately and effectively, they should also be made aware that in this age it is almost impossible to reach the goal without other people’s help. They need to practice working in team and thus they will learn to appreciate other people. Students should also be encouraged to express their ideas and thoughts about current issues from different perspectives to develop their thinking skills. Apart from that, students are supposed to be provided with a wide room to explore their potentials to create new things either in the forms of products, performances, and even in solving problems.

Meanwhile, to catch up with the advance of technology, schools should be creative and innovative in carrying out the teaching and learning process. Using relevant technology in learning activities and school management is a must. However, the ability to use internet or technological device is not enough Schools should also teach their students digital literacy in order that they can utilize the advance of technology properly and wisely. This way, students, as the future agent of the golden age 2045 will at least be able to mitigate the unfavorable impacts of the VUCA environment while they will more easily adapt with digital or technological innovations in various aspects of life.

The next challenge is concerned with the education equity. Indonesia’s population is spread from Sabang to Merauke. Data from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology shows that in 2021, only 30% of high school graduates that continued to pursue higher education. Additionally, it is stated that in 2021, 2.9 million Indonesians were still illiterate and the most were found in Papua Achieving Golden Indonesia 2045 definitely cannot be done by only certain groups in certain regions All members of the society, especially young generation need to participate actively in the national development according to their capacities and abilities Accordingly, education should be able to touch all levels of the society up to remote areas in Indonesia. Building schools evenly is an effort that the government can do. Yet, the schools must also be completed with the internet and proper computer facilities. Moreover, the availability of competent and dedicated teachers supported by providing adequate incentives and appreciation should be considered. This way, it is expected that Indonesian students will get equal opportunities to learn and develop themselves so that in the future they can be a part of productive Indonesian golden generation.

Another challenge that must not be ignored in preparing for the golden generation is the threat of disintegration of the nation.

Indonesia is a multicultural country consisting of diverse ethnicity, religion, race, with diverse customs and cultures When a nation has disintegrated, absolutely it will not be able to develop its country. How can a nation build its country and maintain its existence if they are living in conflicts within it? Character education, is utterly important to face the challenge Education can shape students’ character to be young generation who are open-minded, can accept pluralism of their nation and view it as an asset of the nation. This will result in their awareness to develop the nation together and eventually, Indonesian young generation can be an excellent human capitals that can play their active roles in the Golden Indonesia 2045.

In conclusion, preparing young generation for the 2045 Golden Indonesia, Indonesia will deal with a number of challenges: the VUCA condition, education i n e q u i t y , a n d t h e t h r e a t o f n a t i o n disintegration Education provides ideal solutions to deal with the challenges Relevant innovations in teaching and school management, evenly building of schools, facilities, and competent teachers in all regions in Indonesia, as well as character building are believed to be able to shape Indonesian young generation to be excellent human resources. Thus, education becomes the gateway that will lead them to welcome and go through the 2045 Golden Indonesia.