Selecting the Right Educators for ’Guru Penggerak’
A great nation is one that takes care of its future generations; that is, preparing the youth for the challenges of the future through education. Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi Indonesia (The Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology), or Kemendikbudristek for short, stands at the helm of the noble effort of ensuring the quality of education in schools throughout the nation, including the educators and institutions, through regulations, policies, and tangible programs, such as Sekolah Rujukan, Sekolah Standar Nasional, and many others. Nadiem Makarim, the current Minister for Education, Culture, Research and Technology, and his team have been firm on their commitment to improve the education standard in Indonesia since 2019.
“The Guru Penggerak interview process really involves the emotions. I felt moved, I shared a lot, and
I reflected on my journey as a teacher.”
– Muhammad Takdir, Teacher in SMAN 6 Wajo, Candidate for Guru Penggerak Batch 1
One of the issues that Kemendikbudristek faces is the quality of assessments for teachers and headmasters that are to undergo training programmes. Furthermore, the cascading training system currently used could not measure whether programmes are being held effectively, failed to create significant improvements in teaching quality, and thus did not improve the students’ learning outcome.
In answering these challenges, the Ministry must also stay true to its main objectives: Talent development with a holistic approach, not just focusing solely on cognitive skills. This is reflected on the 6 dimensions of “Pelajar Pancasila” Profile introduced in Peraturan Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Nomor 22 Tahun 2020 on ‘Rencana Strategis Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Tahun 2020-2024.’
One of the programmes that needed high-quality candidates was the “Guru Penggerak” programme (lit: Activator Teachers). This programme aimed to improve the leadership competencies and pedagogies of educators to enable them to teach better according to the students’ learning needs, as well as to inspire change in each educators’ community both inside and outside of the educational environment.
The facilitator has a definite mastery on the materials, is very caring, and makes the session enjoyable. (The training) truly was a remarkable experience.
– Karyono, Guru Penggerak Selection Training Participant
Guru Penggerak programme was to be attended by teachers from all levels throughout Indonesia, targeting more than 700,000 teachers, headmasters, and school superintendents by 2025. Due to its large scale and importance, it was imperative that the Guru Penggerak programme be attended by the most suitable candidates to maximise its impact.
That was when Kemendikbudristek partnered with Daya Dimensi Indonesia. Together, the Ministry and DDI created a holistic training programme that equipped participants with knowledge on how to select the right candidates for the Guru Penggerak programme. During the course, participants learned about competencies, experience first- hand on how to perform behaviour-based interview using Targeted Selection®, practice with DDI’s master assessors, and integrate the system to the whole Guru Penggerak selection process.
By using Targeted Selection® System, the Ministry managed to resolve its initial problem by having a well-defined standard of measurement in assessing training candidates. As a result, the first batches of selected educators were responsibly selected and have a clear set of competencies that can also reflect on future batches of Guru Penggerak participants. Daya Dimensi Indonesia is humbly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the improvement of educators and the overall education system in Indonesia. (GZN)
Read the last article by Daya Dimensi Indonesia here.
