Sukma Bangsa Pidie School's Strategy to Build Student Independence Through Meaningful Learning
Hundreds of senior and junior high school students residing at the Sukma Bangsa Pidie boarding school in Aceh gained deep learning experiences through a series of collaborative activities. The programme is designed to deliver learning that is not only focused on academic texts but also relevant to real-life realities and future challenges.
The series of activities began on Thursday evening (6/8) with an innovative session titled “Learning History and Disasters Through Song”. The activity was facilitated by the Peduli Musik Anak Foundation, featuring two psychology experts as speakers, namely Karina Adistiana and Ribut Cahyono.
In this session, music and songs were used as a medium to examine historical events and disasters. This creative approach aims to enable students to understand complex subjects through an engaging and memorable medium.
On Friday morning (7/8), 120 students continued the agenda with a focus on self-reflection and future planning. The activity involved cross-institutional collaboration, including the Sustainable Development Data Foundation (ISSED), the Statistics Student Association (HIMASTA), and academics from the Department of Statistics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) at Syiah Kuala University (USK).
Saiful Mahdi, a lecturer in the Department of Statistics at FMIPA USK, emphasised in his presentation that independence must be built gradually according to the educational level of students.
“When a student is able to imagine the future they want to achieve, they will find it easier to determine the choices and steps that need to be taken from now on,” Saiful Mahdi asserted.
One of the emotional moments in the activity was the future painting presentation session. Salwa, a boarding student, attracted the attention of participants and facilitators when she presented her dreams with full confidence.
In her painting, Salwa visualised her desire to study in Yogyakarta, visit Paris, and become the wife of a successful entrepreneur with thousands of truck fleets within the next ten years. This honest and bold statement was warmly received by her peers, while also proving that every child has unique aspirations that deserve to be appreciated.
This collaborative activity affirms the position of Sukma Bangsa Pidie School in creating a humanistic educational ecosystem. The school’s main focus is not merely the transfer of knowledge, but rather providing space for students to grow, reflect, and plan their futures.
Through synergy with practitioners and academics, it is hoped that the students will grow into a generation that is not only intellectually capable but also ready to make real contributions to the wider community.