Empowering The Young Generation By Thinking Critically To Celebrate National Children's Day

Photo: Special

JAKARTA - Children are a valuable gift for parents, as well as for the nation. When we build the nation to face future challenges, the biggest investment we can do is ensure that children have the skills, courage, and empathy to advance the country.

Indonesia has always paid special attention to the development of its younger generation. This year, National Children's Day (HAN) will be celebrated on July 23, 2024. The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) has identified six main points for this year's HAN celebration with the theme: "Move Together, Continue Freedom of Learning."

The six subthemes chosen are: The Voice of Children Building the Nation; Smart Children with a Healthy Internet; Pancasila in the Heart of Indonesian Children; Pioneer Children and Reporting; Independent Children from Violence; Child Marriage; Child Labor, and Stunting; and Digital Parenting.

There are many areas that are very important in children's development. In this case, the Government should be praised for acknowledging that children's development must include science and ensuring that they can grow up in a safe and guaranteed environment to ensure that they develop into broad-minded individuals.

Indonesia has made great steps in improving the quality of education. Under the law, the government must allocate 20% of its annual budget for the education sector which has resulted in a marked increase in providing greater access for millions of Indonesian children to get education.

Over the past few years, the focus of public and private schools has shifted from quantity to quality. In urban areas, 84 percent of elementary school-age children go to school, while in rural areas, the number of elementary school-age children is 85 percent. More importantly, there is no significant gender gap between urban and rural areas.

As a result, this country's literacy rate has reached 99.76 percent. This number is an impressive and worth celebrating achievement, although educators and the government ensure that our young people are better prepared to face what will happen in the future.

The challenge in the future is to improve the quality of education and produce children who are able to think critically so that they can become members of a productive society to earn a decent income. In the 21st century, with the emergence of artificial intelligence, creative thinking is now considered the most important attribute for individuals and students.

However, what exactly is creative thinking and why is it important? Creative thinking is the ability to come up with new and innovative ideas. These are valuable skills that can benefit students in all aspects of their education, from solving problems to communication. Beyond skills such as math, reading, and writing, creative thinking empowers students to think outside of the box and connect the dots.

This is where Indonesia is struggling and correcting its shortcomings. In 2022, when all countries face the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, nearly 700,000 students from 81 member countries and OECD economic partners (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) take the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (PISA) test. For the first time, PISA measures students' 15-year-old creative thinking skills, assessing their ability to engage productively in producing, evaluating, and improving ideas.

It is important to note that academic excellence is not a prerequisite for excellence in creative thinking. While about half of students who have the highest creative thinking rate also get good grades in mathematics, many students who do not get good grades in mathematics get good grades in creative thinking. However, very few students are poor at math who excel in creative thinking.

In the OECD Creative Thinking Performance list, Singapore got the highest score with an average score of 41. Korea, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are among the top 5 countries on the list.

What about Indonesia? This country is ranked 6th from below with a score of 19. Only the Philippines among ASEAN countries is under Indonesia. Therefore, the question for educators in Indonesia is how can they raise creative thinking in students and motivate children to learn?

Can creative thinking be taught in schools and how should that thought be taught?

The answer lies in changing ways to teach children. When we look at Indonesia's future and the national goal to become a developed country by 2045, how to teach children today will determine whether Indonesia can achieve this goal. Because more jobs are automated, so creativity will be more attractive.

According to Liane Gabora, professor of madya psychology and creative studies at the University of British Columbia. As we navigate complex environments and social and economic changes in the 21st century, it is very important for students to become innovative, entrepreneurial, and use critical thinking on target.

Indonesia has taken a high level in terms of providing basic education for its young people. The next step is to develop their minds by not only filling them with facts, but also teaching them how to think.

To achieve this, all education sectors; government, public schools, and private schools must work together.

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The authors are Jaspal Sidhu, Founder and Chairman of SIS and Inspiration Group of Schools.