Application of Life Skill in Indonesias Education System

Preliminary

Quality of education in Indonesia is still not significantly improved yet. From the national report known that elementary through high schools NEM (Final National Exam Score) are relatively low and without significant improvement. From the business community also complained that graduates who entering the workforce not have a good job readiness.

Now the symptoms appear for junior and high school graduates who become unemployed in rural areas because of the difficulty of getting a job. In the meantime, they feel embarrassed to help their parents as farmers or merchants at local traditional market.

We had education system has been running with solely oriented to the mastery of subjects. Observation of daily educational practice suggests that education is just focused to make students master the information contained in the subject matter and then evaluated by how much achievement was mastered by the students. So the education system just aims to master the subjects. How they interrelating the teaching materials to everyday life reality and how such material can be used to solve problems in life doesn’t get enough attention. Education as if detached from everyday life. Therefore, students never know what graduate the study benefits and often never know how to use what they have learned in everyday life encountered.

Education needs to be returned to the basic principle that is as an attempt to humanize the human (humanism) and also must be able to develop the basic potential of the learners so they will encouraged to face their problem without depressed feeling, willing, able and happy as a vicegerent on earth. Education is also expected to encourage learners to maintain themselves by improving relations with the God Almighty, society, and environment. Therefore, the required education purposely designed to equip learners with life skills and the meaning of life in integrative and specific method to address and solve their problems of life.

Development of life skills emphasizes the following aspects: (1) Relevant skill to mastered by the learner, (2) learning materials are in line with the developmental level of students, (3) learning activities and the learner activities aiming to achieve competence, (4) facilities, tools and learning resources are adequate, and (5) capabilities that can be applied in the lives of learners. Life skills will have a broad meaning when learning activities are designed to give a positive impact for students in helping them to solve their life problems and overcome their living problems and give them capability to facing their life in a proactive and reactive in order to find the solution of the problems.

Based on the above statement, the school and local government has broad authority to develop and provide education in accordance with the conditions of students, school situation, potentials and needs of the region. Regard to that, Indonesia is made ​​up of various ethnic groups who have multicultural diversity (customs, manners, language, arts, crafts, skills area, etc.) giving typical values ​​that enrich the life of the nation. Diversity should always be preserved and developed while maintaining the noble values ​​of the Indonesian people through life skills educational efforts. The introduction of environmental study, social, and culture to students enabling them to better familiarize with their life circumstances. Environment introduction and development through education is directed to support the human resources quality promotion and ultimately aiming to increase the learner competences.

Identified Problems

From the description above, it can be concluded that education in Indonesia is now facing a serious problem, including: (1) quite a lot of junior and high school graduates who do not continue their education (school dropouts) that if it does not work will increase the number of unemployed, (2) many junior and Senior High School graduates who are unable to apply the knowledge gained from the school in their daily life so they being alienated in their own environment and often become a potential source of crime, (3) The enactment of AFTA in 2003, foreign workers will soon entry into Indonesia, otherwise prepared we will be losers.

The purpose of life skills education

The purpose of life skills education comprises general purpose and special purpose. In general purpose, life skills education aims to enable education in accordance with it nature, which is developing the learners potential in order to face of his role in the future. Specifically aims to:

1. Actualize the learners potential to solve their faced problems, for example: drug problems, social environment, etc.
2. Provide a broad insight about student career development.
3. Provide basic training based on the values which are ​​associated with everyday life.
4. Provide the opportunity for schools to develop flexible and contextual learning system.
5. Optimize resources in the school environment, providing opportunities to existing resources utilization in the community in accordance with the school-based management principle.

LIFE SKILL EDUCATION

Definition

Life skills education is multiple skills combination which practically equip learner to overcoming a variety life matters and the life. This multiple skill it involves knowledge aspects, physically and mentally attitudes, also vocational skills related to student good character development which needed to face the demands and challenges of life. Life skills education can be done through intra or extra-curricular program to develop the learner potentials based to their characteristics, emotional condition and spiritual, that the materials are fused to a number of existing subjects. Content determination of life skills lessons and materials associated with the environment circumstances and needs so that learners know and capable to manage their life in the future. The content and learning materials are fused in the subjects and integrated each other so the structure does not stand alone.

Basic Concept

According to the concept, life skills can be divided into two main types, included:

1. The generic life skills (GLS), and
2. Specific life skills (SLS).

Each type of skill can be divided into sub-skills. Generic life skills consist of personal skills and social skills. Personal skills include proficiency in self-awareness skills and thinking skills. Skills to know yourself is basically an appreciation of ourselves as creatures of God Almighty, as a member of the community and citizens, also a skill to recognize and appreciate the advantages and disadvantages that work as a basic capital in improving themselves as beneficial individuals to the environment. Thinking skills include capability to identify and find the information, processing it, and make decisions to solve problems creatively. While in social skills include communication skills and collaboration skills.

Specific life skills are skills for jobs oriented or skills to facing particular circumstances. These skills consist of academic skills or intellectual skills, and vocational skills. Academic skills associated with occupations that require more intellectual capability. Vocational skills associated with occupations that require more motor skills. Vocational skills are divided into basic vocational skills and occupational skills.

Life skills oriented to provide education for students as capital to face and solve life's problems as an independent person, as a resident of the community also as country citizens. If this can be achieved, then the dependence on the employment post availability which resulted in rising unemployment can be lowered, which means national productivity will be gradually increased.

PATTERNS OF LIFE SKILL EDUCATION IMPLEMENTATIONS

Basically life skills education helps students to develop their study skills, grow their self-aware and appreciation to their own potential in addition to develop and practice it, dare to face their life problems and solve them creatively. Life Skills Education is not the subject, so the implementation does not need to change the curriculum or create new subjects. What needed here is reorient the subjects in the educational system to life skills education through the activities integration which, in principle, to equip students with certain abilities that can be applied in daily life. This meaning gives the sense that subjects are just as a tool and not a goal in order to develop life skills that will be used by learners to face their real life. The implementation of the life skills education principles elaborated as follows:

1. Without change the prevailing education system.
2. Without change the applicable curriculum.
3. Learning process use the four pillars principles: learning to know, learning to be ‘yourself’, learn to do, and learn to achieve a life together.
4. Contextual learning (according to real life) applied by using the surrounding environment potential as tools for education
5. Lead to the good healthy and quality living achievement, broaden your knowledge and open access to decent living standards.

Principles of Life Skills Education Implementation

Sustainable life skills must be possessed by learners from kindergarten through high school, college and even though. However, in the development practice, life skills education is still consider the students developmental level according to the education type and level. Life skills education in kindergarten and elementary school (SD) are different from junior high school (SMP), as well as life skills at the junior high school is different from high school (SMA), depending on the psychological level of learners. The following figure is an example of the life skills education dominance at each level of education, kindergarten, elementary school, junior high, high school and vocational school.

Domination of Life Skill Education 

Life Skills Education at Each Education Level

Life skills education at kindergarten, elementary and junior high school level is more about generic life skills, which covers personal skills aspects and social skills. This suggested that for the lower level is more oriented to the basic life skills or general accordance in the development level. That does not mean that at this stage is not necessary to develop specific life skills, the academic and vocational skills, but if necessary develop just at the new beginning level, for example, critical and rational thinking, fostering fairness and tolerance.

Basic aspects that must be possessed by learners in kindergarten, elementary and junior high school education is personal and social skills are referred as generic life skill. The learning processing revamping the personal and social aspects as prerequisites that must reached at this stage. Learners at the age of kindergarten, elementary school and junior high schools requires not only reading skill or numeracy skill, but also other skills that need a reasoning capable and invited them to understand life in a wise way, so at this time learners can develop their creative, productive, critical and honest to be a superior human beings and hard worker. Life skills education at this level is more about morality as the basic goodness, such as: honesty, kindness, obedience, justice, work ethic, heroism, personal and the environment hygiene, and social skills.

Personal Skill

Personal skills include self-awareness and rational thinking.

1. Self-awareness, seeing themselves in their relation to family environment, habits, interest and so on. At a higher level, learners will understand their position in class, school, village, town, interests, talents, and so on.
2. Thinking skills include the ability to absorb information, process information and make decisions intelligently, and able to solve problems appropriately and well. In secondary education level (junior and high school) third skill is much more complex than at the elementary school (SD) level. As we know that the competency-based curriculum (KBK), the ability to think intelligently for making decisions and solve problems well are the main Issues in life skills learning at secondary school learners (Wasino, 2004).

Social Skill

Social skills can be divided into two main types, including:

1. Communication skills. In this case the necessary skills are how to choose the words and how to convey the order to be understood by their interlocutor. Because verbal communication is very important, it needs to be early developing on to students in line with the writing communication. In writing communication the necessary skills are how to convey a message written with sentences, words, grammar, and other rules choices to be easily understood by people or other readers.
2. Teamwork Skills. Capabilities need to be developed in teamwork so that learners get used to solve complex problems.

Academic skill

Academic skills are often referred as intellectual skills or the scientific thinking ability which is basically a development of general thinking skills, but leads to scientific activities. These skills include skills to identify variables, explains the relationship of a particular phenomena, hypotheses formulating, also designing and conducting research. To develop these skills are also needed a scientific, critical, objective, and transparent attitude.

Vocational skill

Vocational skills are a skill that associated with certain occupations in the public or learners environment. Vocational skills are more suitable for learners who pursue jobs that rely on psychomotor skills rather than scientific thinking. But that does not mean junior high and high school students are not eligible to pursue this vocational field. For example, assemble and operate a computer. Vocational skills divided in two parts, basic vocational skills and specific vocational skills that have been associated with certain occupations like on vocational school. Basic vocational skills related to how students use simple tools, such as: screwdrivers, hammers, etc., perform basic movement, and read simple drawings. This proficiency is associated with a consistent, precision, accuracy, and ‘on time’ attitude that leads to productive behavior. While the specific vocational skills are required for those whose pursue a special occupation according to their interest. For example mechanic workers, pharmacists, carpenters, technicians, or concocting a menu for catering work and so on.

Life Skills Education Emphasis at Each Education Level

Basically life skills education help and equip students in developing their study, self-aware, appreciate to their own potential, courage to face life problems and ability to creatively solve problems. Life skills education is not new subjects, but as a tool and not as a goal. Life skills education concept application based to the learner condition and the environment as the study substance, the students character also schools and environmental conditions.

Further emphasis on life skills learning at each level can be described as follows :

The picture above shows the learning portion emphasis between life skills and subjects substance in each education level. At the kindergarten, elementary school and junior high level there is a very large at life skills portion and still small at subject substance portion. While at high school level, life skills portion decreased and subject substance is increasing. Similarly, in S1 (college) and S2 (post graduate), the life skills portion is reduced because the greater academic portion.

Learning skill Principles are contextual learning, studied the relationship between the environment and learners real life experiences. Furthermore, the relationship between subjects, life skills, and real life can be described as follows:

Life skills education is not as subjects but part of an integrated educational material in subjects. Learning device for all kinds of subjects and education levels that integrates to life skills education, designed or developed contextually, as illustrated in the following illustration:

Implementation of Life Skills Education

Implementation of life skills education is integrated with a variety subjects in all education types and levels. For example in Mathematics subjects that integrate life-skills education, in addition to teaching students to be good at math, also learn how to use it in everyday life, such as: data reading, data analyze, make conclusions, studying other sciences, and so forth.

The steps can be taken in describing life skills integration in the subjects are:

1. Identify life skills elements that are developed in real life and form it as a part of learning activities. 
2. Identify the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values ​​that support life skills education. 
3. Classify in the topic or theme form of the subjects which in accordance with the life skills. 
4. Determine the learning method. 
5. Design the assessment forms and types.