Nadiem Said, The COVID-19 Pandemic Makes Teachers Understand Learning Anywhere

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

JAKARTA - National Education Day (Hardiknas) this year has to be commemorated in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even so, Minister of Education and Culture (Mendikbud) Nadiem Makarim said there were lessons that could be taken in the midst of this pandemic, especially in the field of education.

One of them is the teaching staff who have new knowledge because they have to carry out teaching and learning activities through an online platform and use new equipment.

"For the first time, teachers are learning online, using new tools, and realizing that learning can actually happen anywhere," said Nadiem in a speech broadcast on the BNPB YouTube account on Saturday, May 2.

Nadiem added, due to this pandemic, parents have become aware of the difficulty of teaching teachers effectively. This, according to him, has a positive impact, causing a sense of empathy between parents and teachers which may have been neglected before.

"Teachers, students, and parents also now realize that education is not only one thing that can be done in schools but that effective education needs collaboration from three parties," said Nadiem.

In addition, continued Nadiem, the community really understands the importance of maintaining health, including maintaining human norms in society.

This is evidenced by the emergence of empathy and solidarity to help each other in the community when the COVID-19 pandemic occurs. According to him, empathy and solidarity must be maintained and implemented even though the critical period has passed.

"Learning is not always easy but this is the time for us to innovate, this is the time for us to experiment, this is the time for us to listen to our conscience and learn from COVID-19 so that we can become a better society and nation in the future," concluded Nadiem.