Government Urges Teachers To Return To Schools During Revolutionary War In Today's History, October 11, 1946

Student soldiers during the independence revolution posed in front of the 1949 Pasar Gede Solo. (Twitter/@potretlawas)

JAKARTA History today, 77 years ago, October 11, 1946, Minister of Education and Culture (PPK), Raden Soewandi appealed to all teachers and students who were on the battlefield to immediately return to school. This was revealed via Radio of the Republic of Indonesia (RRI) in Jakarta.

Soewandi wants the Indonesian people to remain touched by education. Even though the Revolutionary War took place. Previously, the Dutch wanted to colonize the archipelago again. All kinds of elements of society oppose. Teachers and school students, especially.

Rich from colonization has been a Dutch character from a long time ago. The Dutch seemed to have collapsed durian. Especially when forced cultivation is perpetuated in the archipelago. His foreign debt is paid off. Likewise with the development in the Netherlands rapidly due to the hot money of colonialism.

It was this colonialism that was perpetuated when Indonesia declared itself independent on August 17, 1945. The Dutch have been attracted to control Indonesia for the second time. because, his great enemy, Japan has given up.

They tried to spread terror. The study was carried out to provide an unsafe feeling for the Indonesian people. The Dutch thought the strategy could make the Indonesian government give up and recognize them as rulers.

Far from being burned. The Dutch' desire to come with a robe of the Dutch East Indies Civil Administration (NICA) did not go smoothly. The terror given actually made the whole of the archipelago fight back. The Indonesian people did not want to be blackmailed back like dairy cows by the Dutch.

The resistance was also echoed. All Indonesian people chose to leave their busy schedule to fight the Dutch. Teachers and even school students actually struggled. This condition makes the education sector complete and not working.

This problem made whoever the Minister of PPK (now: Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology) in the early phase of independence ineffective. In fact, when national figures took turns taking control of the seat of the Minister of PPK.

In the Siahrir I Cabinet which started working on March 12, 1946, at first the position of Minister of PPK was still vacant. It was only on June 29, 1946 that a new minister was appointed, namely Mohammad Sjafei. However, Sjafei never held his position because he could not leave West Sumatra. Practically vang acting as Minister of PPK is TS.G. Mulia who actually holds the position of Deputy Minister of PPK.

In the Cabinet of Sjahrir III (October 2, 1946 to July 26, 1947) the position of Minister of PPK is held by Mr. Soewandi. During this Soewandi era, a committee was formed which was tasked with researching and formulating teaching problems, namely the Investigating Committee for Teaching of the Republic of Indonesia chaired by Ki Hajar Dewantara, "explained Marwati Djoened Poesponegoro and friends in the book National History of Indonesia Volume VI (2008).

Most teachers and students who took part in defending the country from the Dutch colonialists actually brought problems. All because education is a powerful move to become a great nation. This void is considered not good for the newly independent nation.

Minister of PPK, Soewandi took a stand. He chose to make a speech through the RRI funnel in Jakarta on October 11, 1946. He asked teachers and students to immediately return from the battlefield to return to school. They were asked to immediately perpetuate teaching and learning activities. War matters should be taken over by other fighters.

On the evening of October 11, the Minister of PPK, Soewandi, addressed the RRI Jakarta funnel about the importance of people's education in development. He called on teachers who have left their jobs because they are struggling in other fields to return to their original fields, namely teaching."

"The students who are on the defensive field should also continue their lessons again. This step must be taken immediately if the defense field has been regular due to the handling of the body concerned," explained Pramoedya Ananta Toer in the book Electronics of the Indonesian Revolution Volume II (1998).