Ki Hajar Dewantara
Encyclopedia
Ki Hajar Dewantara born Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat into a noble Javanese family of Yogyakarta, was a pioneer in the field of education
in Indonesia
. He was the founder of Taman Siswa
education system.
Ki Hadjar Dewantara studied at ELS (Europeesche Lagere School), then he continued his studies at Kweekschool (Teacher School) and Stovia (Javanese Doctor's School).
Active in the nationalist cause, he belonged to a faction favouring direct action and the use of Western methods to diminish the power of the Dutch. He was a member of the Bandung chapter of Sarekat Islām (“Islamic Association”), but later became a founder of the influential Indische Party
together with Ernest Douwes Dekker
and Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo
. The famous ironic article “If I Were a Netherlander,” he wrote contributed to his exile to the Netherlands between 1913 and 1918.
In the Netherlands he became converted to the idea of using Indonesian cultural traditions to cope with the challenges posed by Dutch colonial rule. He felt that education was the best means to strengthen Indonesians, and he was deeply influenced by the progressive theories of the Italian educational reformer Maria Montessori
and by the Indian poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore
.
His first Taman Siswa schools were established in Java in July 1922. Instruction, carried on informally, emphasized traditional skills and values of Javanese life, particularly music and dance. Western subjects were taught, too, in order to help students cope with the demands of modern life.
Overcoming initial official hostility, the Taman Siswa schools had spread throughout the archipelago and were by the late 1930s subsidized by the Dutch colonial government. Based on traditional Javanese concepts, the Taman Siswa schools appealed primarily to those segments of Indonesian society termed abangan, in which the Islamic faith is less deeply entrenched.
In 1949, he was chosen for Minister of Education and Culture.
The 2nd of May is Indonesia's National Education Day
, named in his honor.
The obverse of the 20,000-rupiah banknote contains the likeness of Ki Hadjar Dewantara.
Education in Indonesia
Education in Indonesia is the responsibility of the Ministry of National Education of Indonesia and the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Indonesia...
in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. He was the founder of Taman Siswa
Taman Siswa
The Taman Siswa was a Javanese educational movement in the Dutch East Indies, founded by Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat, a Javanese nobleman, also known as Ki Hadjar Dewantara , in July 1922.-Sources:...
education system.
Ki Hadjar Dewantara studied at ELS (Europeesche Lagere School), then he continued his studies at Kweekschool (Teacher School) and Stovia (Javanese Doctor's School).
Active in the nationalist cause, he belonged to a faction favouring direct action and the use of Western methods to diminish the power of the Dutch. He was a member of the Bandung chapter of Sarekat Islām (“Islamic Association”), but later became a founder of the influential Indische Party
Indische Party
The Indische Party or Indies Party was a short lived but influential political organisation founded in 1912 by the Indo-European journalist E.F.E. Douwes Dekker and the Javanese physicians Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo and Soewardi Soerjaningrat...
together with Ernest Douwes Dekker
Ernest Douwes Dekker
Ernest François Eugène Douwes Dekker was an Indonesian freedom fighter and politician of Indo descent. He was related to the famous Dutch writer, Multatuli, whose real name was Eduard Douwes Dekker. In his youth, he took part in the Second Boer War in South Africa on the Boer side...
and Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo
Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo
Dr. Tjipto Mangoenkoesoemo or Cipto Mangunkusumo was a prominent Indonesian independence leader and Sukarno's political mentor...
. The famous ironic article “If I Were a Netherlander,” he wrote contributed to his exile to the Netherlands between 1913 and 1918.
In the Netherlands he became converted to the idea of using Indonesian cultural traditions to cope with the challenges posed by Dutch colonial rule. He felt that education was the best means to strengthen Indonesians, and he was deeply influenced by the progressive theories of the Italian educational reformer Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori was an Italian physician and educator, a noted humanitarian and devout Catholic best known for the philosophy of education which bears her name...
and by the Indian poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
.
His first Taman Siswa schools were established in Java in July 1922. Instruction, carried on informally, emphasized traditional skills and values of Javanese life, particularly music and dance. Western subjects were taught, too, in order to help students cope with the demands of modern life.
Overcoming initial official hostility, the Taman Siswa schools had spread throughout the archipelago and were by the late 1930s subsidized by the Dutch colonial government. Based on traditional Javanese concepts, the Taman Siswa schools appealed primarily to those segments of Indonesian society termed abangan, in which the Islamic faith is less deeply entrenched.
In 1949, he was chosen for Minister of Education and Culture.
The 2nd of May is Indonesia's National Education Day
Indonesia National Education Day
Indonesian National Education Day or abbreviated as HARDIKNAS has been celebrated since 2 May 1908. It was initiated by the Indonesian education hero Ki Hajar Dewantara, the founder of the Taman Siswa education system. His educational philosophy Tut Wuri Handayani means that we can help others...
, named in his honor.
The obverse of the 20,000-rupiah banknote contains the likeness of Ki Hadjar Dewantara.