I LOVE GURU

I LOVE GURU

By Leonardus Nana (SMAK Fides Quaerens Intellectum-Kefamenanu)

In commemorating Hari Pendidikan Nasional or the national education day on May 2^nd  2016, Anies Baswedan, The National Education and Culture Ministry said that good quality of human resources is determined by the quality of the education of the nation.

The general purpose of education is the full development of the potential of each individual. The fully developed potential of every individual will collaborate to form the quality of the nation human resources. Therefore, Anies Baswedan emphasized that educated and enlightened man is the key to the progress of nation. The quality and level of education have a major impact on the space of opportunity to move forward and prosper. So we must make sure, he advised that every people should have the same chance to have good quality of education in life. The good quality of education can enable every learner to gain what they need to greet the global era, he added.

In responding to the speech of Anies Baswedan above, Frans Leburaya, the Governor of south-east Nusa Tenggara province, launched a program named “I LOVE GURU.”

There is no any detailed information about the launched program I LOVE GURU, but I think the keen consideration must be that Guru is the first front-liner of the job of educating and enlightening the next generation of Indonesia.

The question is who is Guru and why should Guru be loved? This is not an easy question nowadays, perhaps.

Who is Guru?

Guru is a person skilled in something who gives advices to someone else. Many people will come to Guru as he is naturally trained to listen to people and give them advice about their problems. Guru can help someone to have focus or give attention to deal with their problems such as the problem of how to live a life of community, problem of how to perform better and also the problem of feeling courage in life. A Guru can encourage them to encounter any situation, problem or thing that needs attention and needs capability to deal with or solve.

Guru of the above model can be found at home as a father, in society/community as a leader and in school or college as a teacher.

Why should Guru be loved?

The program of I LOVE GURU is dedicated to Guru who has professional knowledge and skill gained through formal preparation and experience. This Guru provides personal caring service to pupils by diagnosing their needs and by planning, selecting and using methods and evaluation procedures designed to promote learning.

This Guru is called teacher whose job is to teach in school or college. The job of teaching is all about motivating and promoting students to learn. Learning to be educated and enlightened, learning to build their character and to get knowledge or skill, and also learning to prepare themselves for a job or activity.

A child cannot drink medicine willingly even though it can relief his pain. On the same way, most of students have not made learning their responsibilities. But Guru can come to help them to aware that it is only through education ones can learn to find the beauty in their dreams and also it is by learning, ones can gain what they need to greet their future.

To do this, Guru cannot base his diagnose, planning, methodology and evaluation on his professional knowledge and skills only. But also Guru can build good positive qualities of relationship with his/her learners. This good qualities of relationship can set a learning experience approachable and inviting the students to learn to recognize the quality within them to become excellent.

Guru can help the next generation of Indonesia to be fully supported to achieve the following components of skills which they need to greet the global era:

a.    Good Character or good value of life like honesty, integrity and morality

b.    Literacy Skill or the capability to apply what is learnt in life

c.    Competency or creativity to do something well

Therefore, Guru preserves right to be loved because Guru is the first front liner who adds value to the nation by developing its people. Well-developed people are good treasure which add value to the advancement of the nation.

How to love Guru

Guru is not a superman. Guru should be recognized as a person who wants to be loved to love. When Guru is loved, he/she will get enough capacity to love the others, especially students.

There are many ways to love Guru. The government and society have their own ways to love Guru, but a Guru will, of course be fully loved if he/she has the rights as stated in UU No. 14 tahun 2015 about Guru dan Dosen or as ones that we read below:

1.    Teachers have the right to work in surroundings that are sanitary, healthful and conducive to teaching and learning.

2.    Teachers have right to a reasonable allotment of resources, materials and services of support staff

3.    Teachers have a voice in determining criteria and procedures for the evaluation of professional performance of teachers

4.    Teachers have right to be protected under provisions outlined in contracts of employment with the employer,

5.    Teachers have right to bargain for salaries and working conditions which include fair and equitable grievance procedures,

6.    Teachers have right to receive an adequate income while teaching and upon retirement.

Source: Harian Victory News May 3^rd 2016 and The Declaration forms part of the Constitution of The Alberta Teachers' Association