Rumored To Be Abolishing History Subject, Nadiem: There Is Incorrect News Spread

Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim (Photo: Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - Minister of Education and Culture (Mendikbud) Nadiem Makarim emphasized that there would be no change in the national curriculum. This curriculum simplification will only be trial and error in certain schools.

"There has not been any policy that has been decided so far regarding changes to the national curriculum. Even in 2021 there will not be. The policy for changing the national curriculum will only have a prototyping. We will test it in 2021, and that will only be in the driving school," said Nadiem in joint working meeting of Commission X DPR RI, which is broadcast online, Wednesday, September 23.

Nadiem also dismissed the news that history would be erased in vocational high schools and was not compulsory for SMA. According to him, the news was not true.

"That there is spreading news that is not true that there will be an erasure of historical lessons. So please emphasize it once again," he added.

Regarding the piloting at the driving school, later it will play a role to see the effectiveness of the curriculum simplification and will later become the responsibility of the Directorate of Teachers and Education Personnel and the Research and Development Agency (Balitbang).

In addition, the Ministry of Education and Culture is still conducting studies and hearing responses from the public. Nadiem also said that when this study was completed he would even show it to Commission X DPR RI.

He also hopes that the public can continue to provide input to his party and provide constructive input. "But the hope is without emotion or without spreading untrue news. Like the elimination of subject matter," he said.

"So I hope it can calm the public that there is none. The plan will not happen in 2021 and all of that with public participation and public testing that started in the DPR first," he said.

Previously, the polemic about the elimination of history subjects was busy on social media. This plan is contained in the draft of the National Curriculum Simplification and Assessment socialization dated August 25. In this design, it is stated that the Ministry of Education and Culture plans to make this subject not compulsory for SMA and SMK students and the equivalent.

Later, the lessons that are usually required to be followed are now optional lessons, which high school students can take or not.

The Ministry of Education and Culture, through the Head of the Ministry of Education and Culture's Research and Development Agency, Totok Supriyato, then emphasized that his party did not plan to eliminate these lessons.

He emphasized that the subjects will still be taught at school. Moreover, this subject is important because it discusses the journey of the Indonesian nation.

"The Ministry of Education and Culture prioritizes history as an important part of the diversity and plurality and the journey of life of the Indonesian people, at present and in the future," Totok said as quoted from his written statement, Sunday, September 20.

Totok also said that history is also important to learn as a way to develop the character of the nation. "History is an important component for Indonesia as a great nation so that it becomes part of the education curriculum," he said.

"The values learned in history are one of the keys to the development of the nation's character," he added.