The Life Journey of the ‘Father of Education’ Ki Hajar Dewantara

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesia commemorates the national hero Ki Hajar Dewantara, who dedicated his life to fighting for access to education for all Indonesians during the colonial era. The tireless struggle of this pioneer, born Raden Mas Soewardi Soeryaningrat, laid the cornerstone of the modern education system, ultimately earning him the official title of ‘Father of Education’.

As quoted from the book Kumpulan Pahlawan Indonesia Terlengkap by Mirnawati, Soewardi was born into a noble family of the Yogyakarta Palace on May 2, 1889. Because he came from a noble family, the young Soewardi had the opportunity to attend the Dutch elementary school ELS.

After completing elementary school, he chose to continue his studies at the STOVIA medical school. However, due to his frequently poor health, he did not complete his medical education and instead chose to pursue a career as a journalist.

Through his incisive and patriotic writings, Ki Hajar Dewantara actively stirred up anti-colonial sentiment and founded the Indische Partij political party alongside Douwes Dekker and Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo in 1912. His courage in criticizing the Dutch colonial government through his essay Als Ik Eens Nederlander Was led to his arrest and exile to the Netherlands along with his two colleagues from the Tiga Serangkai.

The Dutch East Indies colonial government deemed these critical writings extremely dangerous to the stability of their rule. The Dutch viewed the writings of Douwes Dekker and Cipto Mangunkusumo as nothing more than attempts to incite the people to rebel against the Dutch, such was the history of political pressure faced by the leaders of the Tiga Serangkai.

During his exile in Europe, Ki Hajar Dewantara used his time to deepen his knowledge of pedagogy, eventually earning the Europeesche Akte teaching certificate. Upon his return to his homeland in 1918, he founded the Taman Siswa National School on July 3, 1922, to instill a sense of nationalism and love for the homeland in the younger generation.

After Indonesia’s independence was proclaimed, he was appointed as the first Minister of Education, Instruction, and Culture and was awarded an honorary doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa) from Gadjah Mada University. He passed away on April 26, 1959, in Yogyakarta, and his legacy continues to be honored through the celebration of National Education Day on May 2, the naming of streets and a Navy warship, and the depiction of his portrait on rupiah banknotes.