2022 Curriculum Will Abolish Science, Social Sciences And Language Departments: Traces Of Habits Changing High School Majoring System

JAKARTA - The 2022 curriculum will eliminate the majors in Natural Sciences (IPA), Social Sciences (IPS), and Languages in High Schools (SMA). This perpetuates the habit of frequently changing educational curricula.

The head of the BSKAP Kemendikbudristek, Anindito Aditomo via his official Instagram @ninoaditomo, explained the new 2022 curriculum. He said that later students will be given the freedom to choose subjects according to their interests, talents and aspirations.

Even so, there are still subjects that students must take. The compulsory subjects are none other than Religious Education, PKN, Indonesian Language, English, Mathematics, Music Arts, Physical Education and History.

Anindito gave an example, there are students who are interested in becoming doctors, so he can choose subjects according to his interests such as Biology, Chemistry, Sociology and others. And of course without leaving studying compulsory subjects.

The head of BSKAP, who is familiarly called Nino, explained that currently the prototype curriculum is being implemented in a limited way in 2500 schools throughout Indonesia through the Motivating School Program. It may not be widely known to the public that the participating schools of this program reflect the diversity that exists in our education system.

"Most of them are ordinary schools. Not schools that are usually considered favorite or superior. Not schools that have excess facilities. Many of them are lacking in infrastructure. Some are also in disadvantaged areas."

According to Nino, limited application is an important stage in curriculum development. Trials in various schools ensure that the curriculum being developed can indeed be applied in various conditions.

The 2022 curriculum is arguably the end of the majors system that has been implemented since the beginning of Indonesia's independence. How did the application of science, social studies, and language majors in Indonesia start?

Citing the Profile of SMA, from Time to Time published by Kemristekdikti, majors in SMA were first introduced in 1950, namely in the era of the United States of Indonesia. At that time, the Minister of Teaching, Abu Hanifah, changed the Oemoem Upper Middle School (SMOA) to a high school. At the same time, he also introduced three categories of SMA, namely SMA A (Language), SMA B (Exact Science and Natural Sciences), and SMA C (Social Sciences).

Even when the Minister of Education changed, the three majors did not change: part A (literature); B (exact science and natural science); and C (juridical and economic). The three majors have been separated since the beginning of the first grade of high school and there is no integration of the three sections as long as students take their education.

In addition, the 1952 high school curriculum clearly does not have a general education program or is categorized as a general education program. Indeed, there are several subjects whose direction is to foster harmony in the personality of the students in the 1952 Curriculum. However, they have not fully met the criteria for general education.

In the 1964 Curriculum, there was a change in majors and it was divided into four majors, namely Culture, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Exact Sciences. In addition, the 1964 Curriculum also has a more complex goal, because it is not only to continue to college but to plunge into all areas of life that exist in society.

The group of majors was changed again in the 1968 Curriculum. At that time there were only two majors, namely the Department of Exact and Natural Sciences and the Department of Socio-Cultural Literature.

In the 1975 high school curriculum, to be precise, during the New Order era and the Minister of Education and Culture Syarief Thayeb, the majors in high school were changed to what we know today, namely science, social studies, and language. The curriculum is made goal-oriented.

However, in the 1984 curriculum, the term major was changed to program. Call it the A1 program for Physics, A2 for Biology, A3 for Economics and A4 for Language and Culture.

Another change occurred in 1994. The term SMA was changed to General Middle School (SMU). If previously the majors were carried out from the beginning, in 1994 the majors were changed to the end of class II.

The major at that time was intended so that all students could study Science, Mathematics, and Language subjects as well as other subjects that instilled scientific thinking in grades I and II. In addition, this method also avoids only students majoring in science having the opportunity to enter higher education.

In 2004, SMA returned to SMA. The learning objectives that were previously more emphasized for final results and the soul of the workers were changed to become more human, mature, and have more knowledge. After various discussions were carried out, the Competency-Based Curriculum (KBK) was born.

The curriculum changes made majors in high school carried out when students were in class II and the majors consisted of science, social studies, and language. And next year, more precisely in 2022, the majors system will be completely abolished.

The National Coordinator of the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network, Ubaid Matraji, sees the plan for the 2022 curriculum to extend the truth of the phenomenon of changing ministers to changing curriculum. "This extends the truth of the phenomenon of changing ministers to changing curriculum," said Ubaid when contacted by VOI.

This kind of changing curriculum has also been highlighted by the General Chair of the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI), Unifah Rosyidi. According to him, this is actually one of the reasons why the quality of education in Indonesia is not getting better.

This is evident from Indonesia's PISA score, which is currently in the top 10 bottom in the world. "We have the 2013 curriculum, it has been replaced again. It has changed again and is quietly implemented in several tens of thousands of driving schools. What's the difference? Nothing," said Unifah in the webinar "National Scientific Meeting of Teachers: Digital Literacy in the Application of Free Learning to Build Superior Human Resources." " which was quoted by the Journal.

Instead of changing the curriculum, according to Unifah, the government should be consistent in continuing the existing curriculum. Unifah said, there are still many problems that need to be addressed so that the education ecosystem will be better.

"What is bad is fixed, not always replaced. Then it's nice to say this (quality problem) is because of the teacher. Even though we know that there are many problems that need to be addressed so that the education ecosystem will be better."

"Campuses and schools must begin to prepare not only hard skills, namely how to master the sciences taught from PAUD to tertiary levels, but begin to shape the educational ecosystem," said Unifah.

*Read other information about EDUCATION read another interesting article from Ramdan Febrian Arifin.