GENERATION OF LITERATION AND STRENGTHENING OF NATIONAL CHARACTER EDUCATION

Abstract

Generation of literacy is the ability of individuals to use all the potential and skill possessed on his life. Literacy is also a tool for developing the character and competence of future generations. The goal is to equip the nation's generation with life skills.

Values, moral, and character education are to develop the ability of learners to give good decisions, to maintain goodness and to realize that goodness in his life.

The purpose of character education is to develop the character of the nation in order to be able to realize the values of Pancasila. Character education as a basic of national awakening, getting the achievement and uphold the moral character.

Keywords: Generation, literacy, strengthening, education, character, and nation.

I. Introduction

Education is the power to promote the growth of character, intellectualism and the literacy skill. It should not be separated in order to advance of the child's life. Generation of literacy is the ability of individuals to use all the potential and skill possessed in his life. Also literacy is a tool to develop the character and competence of future generations. The purpose of literacy to equip the nation's generation with life skills.

In line with this, the literacy skills developed by Kemendikbud (2017) include the ability to adapt to a dynamic environment; ability to solve complex problems; and the ability to apply basic daily skills by enhancing creativity, critical thinking, communicative and collaborative.

The types of literacy currently being developed by Kemendikbud include language and literature, numeracy, science, ICT, finance, culture and citizenship. First, language literacy is the ability to read and write, literacy that includes the ability to read and write, the ability to process and understand information while doing the process of reading and writing. Second, numeracy is the ability to solve problems, explain the process and analyse information related to numeration. A person is called a numeracy literature if it knows the basics of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division; can use the concept of numeracy confidently and effectively; can understand how to transfer the skills they have to solve the problem. Third, science literacy is the ability to use science knowledge, identify questions, draw conclusions in order to understand and make decisions related to nature; a person is called a literate on science, if it has the competence to explain the phenomenon of science, evaluate and design knowledge and skills of science independently, and interpret data and evidence of science. Fourth, digital literacy is the ability to use digital media, communication tools or networks to find, evaluate, use, create information and make good use of it; features that covered computer basics, internet usage and productive programs, security and confidentiality, and digital lifestyle. Fifth, financial literacy is the ability to understand how money affects the world (how one manages to make money, manages money, invests money and donates money to help others, a series of processes or activities to increase the knowledge, beliefs and skills of consumers and society so they able to manage finances well. Sixth, cultural and civic literacy is the ability to understand, appreciate and participate skilfully in culture, ability to participate actively and initiate change in community and larger social environment.

National Literacy Movement should get support from all parties, for example by one teacher one book (reading), family literacy movement, school literacy movement, community literacy movement, cultural literacy movement and nation literasi movement. The objectives of the National Literacy Movement are: First, build a culture of literacy. Second, Preparing the golden generation of Indonesia on 2045. Third, strengthening character education as the spirit and the foundation of education through harmonization of ethics, aesthetic, and literacy, and kinesthetic. Fourth, revitalize and strengthen the capacity of the educational ecosystem. Fifth, preserve the Indonesian culture and identity in support of the National Movement of the Mental Revolution.

The challenges faced by the nation's literacy generation include: First, the literacy culture of Indonesian society is still low. It is the fact, for example; the Central Connecticut State University (2016) Survey results is Indonesia ranked 60th out of 61 countries. PISA Score (reading) Indonesia is ranked 64th out of 72 countries. INAP scores still show less categories. Indonesian public reading index is only 0.001. Cybercrime cases in 2016 as many as 1207 cases (defamation, hoax and others). Second, the limited number, access and quality of reading material quality. Third, build synergies and roles between all stakeholders. Fourth, build a literacy support facility in the public space. Fifth, the globalization.

 Generation of literacy is believed by the advanced society as a very important need for every human being as a citizen of the world society is moving very fast. Most societies regard literacy as a citizen's right that is obliged to be facilitated by each country. Therefore, many citizen in particular that literacy is a human rights, so this should be facilitated by government. Therefore, many developing countries make literacy as a major development agenda that cost a lot. This is due to the government's awareness that literacy can provide opportunities for eco-economic and social development towards the prosperity of life, both individuals, families, communities and nations and countries.

 Values, character, moral educations aims to develop the ability of learners to make good decisions, to maintain goodness and to realize that goodness in his life. Character education functions; first, develop the basic potential to be goodness. Second, strengthen and build the behavior of a multicultural nation (strengthening the already good behavior). Third, enhance the civilization of a competitive nation in the world society (cultural filter that is less in accordance with the values ​​of Pancasila)

Configuration of value (social, cultural and psychological) which includes: first, the mindset is smart, critical, creative, innovative, curious, open minded, productive, science-oriented and reflective. Second, soul is religious, honest, trustworthy, fair, responsible, empathy, dare to take risks, never give up, willing to sacrifice, and spirited patriotic. Third, the sportive is clean and healthy, discipline, sportive, tough, reliable, enduring, friendly, cooperative, determinative, competitive, cheerful and persistent. Fourth, the taste / intention of being friendly, respectful, tolerant, caring, helpful, mutual cooperation (gotong royong), nationalist, cosmopolite, giving priority to the public interest, proudly using Indonesian language and products, dynamic, hard work, and work ethics.   

Government through Permendikbud No. 23 Year 2015on the Growing of Budi Pekertiis closely related to the strengthening of character education. Habituation and moral reinforcement in education is absolutely necessary. The nation's mental revolution can not be postponed. In line with the demands of students Life Skills of 21st Century, including 4C (Critical Thinking, Creativity, Communication, and Collaboration), the strengthening of character education becomes the fourth wrapper of these skills demands. Why is that? Without character and personality, as great as a country will be destroyed.

First, critical thinking. Learners are required for criticism and sharpness of a state. Reading social or electronic media that is difficult to distinguish from hoax news requires sharp thinking. Second, creativity. Creative learners are learners who are always different from the others. Has more habits compared to his fellow friends. Always want to be superior from others. Third, Communication is the skill of a person or learner in associating and connecting with friends, or others. Communication in general is relate to various circles, through various ways or media. The 21st century is the digital information century. The demand for communication skills will be more important. Fourth, collaboration. Learners are required to be able to collaborate in groups. After engaging in the community, collaboration develops not only with school friends or contemporary but also in collaboration with communities, leaders, or subordinates.

II. Discussion

2.1 Generation of Literacy

According to Apandi (2016: 14) how to cultivate manners through the movement of literacy, as follows: curiosity, want forward (mentally), critical and analytical thinking, willingness to share, discipline, hard work and grateful. The government through Kemendikbud RI (2017) is currently promoting the National Literacy Movement. The targets of this movement are all levels of society ranging from families, schools, and communities in general. The government hopes all elements of the society to be united, and to be an ecosystem to advance the generation of literacy in Indonesia.

Literacy here is not only identical to reading and writing, but also information, media, youth and citizenship, technological, financial literacies, and so on. In essence, every society can understand literacy as capital to become an advanced human being.

The challenges faced by the nation's literacy generation include: First, the literacy culture of Indonesian society is still low. It is the fact, for example; the Central Connecticut State University (2016) Survey results is Indonesia ranked 60th out of 61 countries. PISA Score (reading) Indonesia is ranked 64th out of 72 countries. INAP scores still show less categories. Indonesian public reading index is only 0.001. Cybercrime cases in 2016 as many as 1207 cases (defamation, hoax and others). Second, the limited number, access and quality of reading material quality. Third, build synergies and roles between all stakeholders. Fourth, build a literacy support facility in the public space. Fifth, the globalization.

The movement of the literacy has begun in schools and in the community. Among others, with the habit of reading non-text books for 15 minutes before starting the lesson. In addition, reading corners in the classroom, school library optimization, reading challenge, mass reading, synopsis of read books, literacy expo. These activities depend on the creativity of each school.

    Literacy activities in schools are usually managed by one or more teachers who are concerned and able to manage the movement well. They are literacy fighters who sometimes carry out the program is confronted with various obstacles or challenges that come from within the school or from outside the school. Nevertheless, they keep working and moving, because of their intention to build and ground the literacy movement at school.

Movement of literacy is an integral part of the movement of character development. How to cultivate character through literacy movements include: First, curiosity. People who read books have a curiosity about the problem they want to know. Even not just from books, he will read from other sources, ask or discuss with others whom he thinks can give him the information he needs. As a man of high curiosity, he was curiosity for information and knowledge, and not ashamed to ask some questions. In the Sundanese called as ‘bodo al'ewoh’, which means to ask anyone who judged more know. 

Second, the mental wants to go forward. People who often reading have the ideals or desires for himself advanced or the quality of his life increases. Entrepreneurs gain knowledge about success in addition to attending a business seminar or training, as well as he often reads books on effective marketing. And the result, many of them at the beginning of his business went bankrupt, after reading the books tips and motivation success of the successful entrepreneur, he managed to rise and achieve success.

Third, be critical and analytical. People who read a lot will have critical thinking skills compared to people who do not read. His analytical ability was increasingly. Every read word and sentence to encourage to keep thinking and analysing. The idea of ​​writing appears when he was reading a book. In other words, the activity of reading a book keeps his brain working and producing new thoughts.

Fourth, the desire to share. After reading a book, someone get knowledge, it will be more useful if distributed to others. For him the knowledge that is shared with others will increase the usefulness and blessing. There is a value of worship and satisfaction from the knowledge that is shared with others.

Fifth, discipline. Someone who read books will certainly take time to read the discipline. He will be good at managing time to read. For him, reading is a necessity as well as a duty to be fulfilled. People who often read usually have a reading target that must be completed within a certain time. If he missed one day not reading, he will replaced the next day for reading. By getting used to reading, then his life will be more discipline.

Sixth, hard work. People who read certainly need hard work to do it. Reading can use speed reading (skimming) or normal reading, or reading each sheet. To know the general description or a particular part of the book, it can be done through skimming, but if you want to understand in depth, then he should read the pages after sheet, even have to repeat reading it, it is requires time and energy a lot.

Seventh, grateful. Reading activity requires excellent health. People who are sick will be less excited to read at all and he want to rest or spend time in bed. Therefore, the activity of reading is as a form of our gratitude for the healthy conferred by Allah SWT. By read more, the level of gratitude will increase. And when a man is much grateful, Allah will add to his pleasure, including his body getting fit and also his eyes are getting healthier.

2.2 Strengthening Nation Character Education

Character education is character education plus, which involves aspects of knowledge (cognitive), feeling (feeling), and action (action). According to Lickona, T. (1992: 18) without these three aspects, character education will not be effective, the implementation must be systematic and sustainable. By strengthening the nation's character education, a child will be getting emotional intelligent. Emotional intelligence is an important provision in preparing child for the future because with it one will be able to succeed in the face of all kinds of challenges, including the challenge of academically successful.

In the book (Joseph Zins, et al 2001: 30) www.makdikdasmen.depdiknas.go.id accessed on September 1st 2012 compiled various research results on the effect of children's emotional intelligence on success in school. It is said that there are a number of risk factors causing child failure in school. The factors are not in the intelligence of the brain, but on the character, namely self-confidence, ability to work together, sociability, ability to concentrate, empathy, and communication skills.

Meanwhile, according to Lickona (in Sapriya, 2007: 15) suggests that the conceptualized characters have three interrelated fields of Moral Knowing, Moral Feeling, and Moral Behaviour. Therefore, a good character contains three competencies, namely knowing good, Design the good, and doing good, so that in turn it becomes a habit thinking, Habits of Soul and Habits of Action.

Moral knowledge is the aspect that is instilled to a child as a source of energy from the human self to act in accordance with moral principles. There are six aspects of emotions that must be felt by someone to be a human character, there are: conscience, self-esteem, feeling the suffering of others (empathy), goodness, self-control, and humanity.

Moral quotient is how to make moral knowledge realistic. To understand what drives a person in doing good morality, it can be seen from three aspects of the nation's character: competence, will and habit. Marthin Luther King Jr's Theory state that: '' intelligence plus character which is the true aim of education ''. 

The development of character not only becomes the needs of the Indonesian but also other countries likely the United States who have had life experience nation (hundreds of years) do not escape the effort how to develop the nation's character education in their country.

National commitment on the need for character education, set in Law Number 20 of 2003 on the National Education System to develop the skill, character and dignity of nation in order to educate the nation's life, aims at the development of the potential of learners to become believers and be conscious of God Almighty, goodness, social, healthy, knowledgeable, capable, creative, independent and responsible citizen.

Character education should be supported by character as basically, so it not to be easily lost by age. Therefore, character education as an integral part of the entire system of national education system must be developed and implemented systematically and holistically in the three pillars of the nation's character education, there are; the unit of education (school, college, nonformal education unit / program), family (core family , extended family, region, nation and country). It is also consistent with the concept of national education responsibility that is in school. Family and society. Each pillar is an educational entity that develops values ​​(ideal value, instrumental value, and praxis value) through the intervention process.

Education as a leading sector, seeks to utilize and empower all existing learning environments to initiate, improve, strengthen and continually improve the character education process in educational. For example, teaching and learning activities in the classroom by integrating into KBM in each subject. School culture by doing homework every day in school, religious values, nationalism, mutual cooperative, integrity and hard work. Extracurricular activities by integrating character education into extracurricular activities such as scouts, sports, papers and so on. Daily activities at home is education character.

National character values ​​as micro can be divided into four pillars, namely classroom-level teaching activities, daily activities in the form of culture, co-curricular or extracurricular activities, home-based activities, and in community life. In teaching and learning activities in nation education classes implemented by using an integrated approach in all subjects (embaded approach). In the educational unit, environment is conditioned to enable the physical and cultural environments of the education unit to enable participants to work together with other education unit citizens to be accustomed to build daily activities in educational units reflecting the national character of the nation.

In the family environment, the process of empowerment of parents/guard towards the characteristic developed in the educational unit becomes daily activities in their home and environment, it’s also religious values, nationalism, mutual cooperative, integrity and the value of hard worker. While the habit of strengthening the nation's character education in the community is strived for a process of strengthening of community leaders towards characterized behaviour developed in educational units into daily activities in their respective communities.

The values ​​of the nation's character and culture are constructed from various sources, including religion, Pancasila, culture and national education goals (Sarbaitinil in Muhammd Yaumi, 2014: 82-84). The sources can be explained, as follows: First, the values ​​of character and culture of the nation comes from the teachings of religion. The Indonesian nation has a diversity of beliefs. Religion of Islam, Christian, Hinduism, Buddhism, beliefs and other forms of beliefs can growth well in this country, although there are also small frictions. Plurality in religion has given raises to values, and diverse cultures that produce great values ​​in the life of the nation and the state.

Secondly, Pancasila as the basic state of the Republic of Indonesia has also become an integral part of the values ​​held nationally by citizens. The unity of the Republic of Indonesia was built by the founders of the nation on the basis of the principles of national and state life called Pancasila. Pancasila is found in the Preamble of the 1945 Nation’s Constitution and further elaborated in the articles contained in the 1945 Nation’s Constitution. That is, the values ​​contained in Pancasila become the values ​​governing the political, legal, economic, social, cultural, and art of Indonesian.

Third, culture as a truth that there is no community that is not based on cultural values ​​recognized by the community. Cultural values ​​that serve as the basis in giving meaning to a concept and meaning in communication among members of that society. An important cultural position in the life of society requires culture to be a source of value in cultural education and character of the nation. 

Fourth, the purpose of national education as a quality formula that must be owned by every citizen of Indonesia, developed by various educational units at all levels. The purpose of national education contains the various humanitarian values ​​that must be owned by every Indonesian citizen.

III. Conclusion

Based on the explanations above, then the authors can conclude as follows:

3.1 Generation of literacy is the ability of individuals to use all the potential and skill possessed in his life. Types of literacy to be developed include language and literature, numeracy, science, ICT, finance, culture and citizenship. The national literacy movement is not just a mechanical reading and writing skill. But also literacy includes responses, understandings, and daily activities that are structured and applied through continuous learning activities.

3.2  Dimensions of strengthening the education of the nation's character through educational programs in schools to strengthen the character of learners through harmonization of the soul, taste, thought, and sport with the support of public engagement and cooperation between schools, families and communities that are part of the revolution mental national movement.

3.3 Urgency of character education strengthening which includes: first, human resource development is the foundation of nation building. Second, 21st century skills needed by learners that is the quality of character, basic literacy, 4C competence (critically thinking, creative, communication and collaboration) in order to realize the competitiveness of Gold Generation on 2945. Third, the tendency of degradation conditions of morality, ethics and character.

3.4 The development of the potential of learners to become human beings who believe and cautious to God Almighty, morals, healthy, intellectual, proficient, creative, independent and become citizens of a democratic and responsible. The main values ​​of character values ​​include religious values, nationalism, self-reliance, mutual cooperation and integrity. The movement of strengthening character education as the foundation and the main spirit in education.

REFERENCES

Apandi, idris. 2016. Literasi atau Mati: Membangun dan Membumikan Budaya Literasi di Lingkungan Keluarga, Sekolah dan Masyarakat. Bandung: LEKKAS.

Yaumi, Muhammad. 2014. Pendidikan Karakter: Landasan, Pilar & Implementasi. Jakarta: Prenadamedia Group.

Joseph Zins, 2001. Ses.sch.id/en/dampak-pendidikan-karakter-terhadap-akademik-anak.php Diakses 19 Maret 2013.

Lickona T, 1992. Educating For Character: How Our Schools Can teach Respect and Responsibility, USA: A.Bantam Book.

Sapriya. 2007. Perspektif Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan Sebagai Pendidikan Karakter Menurut Para ahli. Bandung: Sekolah Pasca Sarjana Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia.