"We had distributed a circular letter regarding this movement, and it has been implemented by more than 502 cities and districts in Indonesia," the ministry's Director General of PAUD, Primary, and Secondary Education, Iwan Syahril, stated in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He explained that the Independent Learning program is a form of educational transformation, which is important, especially for building a solid foundation for young children in preparing their future.
According to Syahril, the transition period from PAUD to elementary school is an important step for children's development. Hence, the process must be enjoyable for the students.
The government encouraged the implementation of this program since 2023 through a series of coordination meetings with government agencies, technical guidance, and inviting various partners, he noted.
Syahril highlighted that the program has three targets, namely eliminating the reading, counting, and writing tests (calistung) for elementary school enrollment; implementing the School Environment Introduction Period (MPLS); and applying a fun learning system to build foundational abilities.
The three targets were formulated to clear misunderstandings about calistung abilities that are often considered as the only abilities in children that age, he added.
"Children's abilities must be holistic. It covers six foundational abilities," he stated.
Thus, the government pressed for the implementation of this program to aid in forming six foundational abilities in children, such as recognizing religious values and character; having social and language skills for interaction; and possessing emotional maturity for activities in the learning environment.
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Moreover, the program is being implemented to develop cognitive maturity for learning activities; motor skills and self-care to participate in the learning environment independently; and the understanding of learning as a fun and positive activity.
"These targets also remind us that children have various rates of development and learning opportunities," Syahril stated.
