Launching The Story Book Of Equatorial Children, KGSB Strengthens Literacy-Based Education

JAKARTA The Satkaara Sharing Teacher Community (KGSB) released a book entitled Cerita Anak Khatulistiwa. The book by 27 teachers from various regions in Indonesia and Timor Leste was officially launched at SDN Lenteng Agung 09, South Jakarta, on Thursday, December 12.

The event also became a moment of celebration of National Fairy Tale Day which falls on November 28, as well as the third KGSB anniversary on December 18, 2024. The launch of the Equatorial Children's Storybook was followed by the reading of the story directly by teachers from SDN Lenteng Agung 09 and the writers of KGSB members.

As part of the launch preparations, KGSB has distributed book donations through the 'Dividing Books for Schools' program to more than 200 schools of KGSB members spread across Indonesia and Timor Leste. The Children's Storybook from the Khatulistiwa is intended for children aged 10-13 years and is designed as an interesting learning medium, educating, and introducing local cultural wealth.

Through the launch of the book Cerita Anak Khatulistiwa, KGSB reaffirmed its commitment to supporting literacy-based education. This step is expected to be able to encourage the spirit of reading and love of learning among children, as well as strengthen the tradition of storytelling as a means of character education.

In her speech, KGSB Founder, Ruth Adriani expressed her gratitude and appreciation for the contributions of the teachers who participated in the preparation of this anthology book.

"With great pride, we present the book Cerita Anak Khatulistiwa as the result of the hard work of the great teachers at KGSB. We hope this book can be an effort to preserve local Indonesian culture and the culture of reading from an early age in children," said Ruth.

In particular, he gave his appreciation to teachers who with high dedication succeeded in completing the task of writing children's stories based on local culture. The creative process of the Katulistiwa Children's Story book runs for 3 months, starting from September 2024 through seminars, outline presentations, to intensive guidance in October 2024.

Through cultural research and local history, teachers have succeeded in creating literary works that not only enrich insight, but also complement the learning process in schools.

Ruth hopes that the work of the teachers of KGSB members can inspire more parties to continue to support the literacy movement in Indonesia. She hopes that the book Katulistiwa Children's Story can be the beginning of more tangible contributions in advancing education and introducing Indonesia's cultural wealth to future generations.

Deputy Principal of SDN Lenteng Agung 09, Elly Putriandari as the host of the event, also expressed her gratitude for the contribution of KGSB. He expressed his hope that the KGSB Literacy Club program could motivate more writers from among teachers and students.

"We hope this collaboration can give birth to more new writers. Teachers as role models have an important role in instilling the spirit of literacy," said Elly.

Building A Mendongeng Tradition And The Spirit Of Literacy

The Anthology Book of the Khatulistiwa Children contains fairy tales full of imagination that raises moral values, local traditions, and cultural stories that are rarely known. Each story presents moral values that are relevant to children, as well as introduces them to the rich culture around them.

Through the stories raised, KGSB hopes to foster a sense of love for Indonesia's rich and diverse cultural heritage.

This step is a real effort by KGSB to present quality books for children as well as encourage understanding of local culture. The Katulistiwa Children's Storybook is expected to be able to become a medium to introduce Indonesian cultural wealth to future generations, as well as encourage the spirit of literacy and love to learn among children.

The creative process carried out by the teachers shows that literacy is not just a activity of reading and writing, but also a way to strengthen the character and identity of the nation.

The launch of the book Katulistiwa Children's Story is also an important moment to strengthen the tradition of storytelling as a means of character education, as well as to celebrate the contribution of teachers as the front line in the world of education.