Cases of violence in the school environment still occur. Data from the Indonesian Teachers' Union Forum (FSGI) reveals that during 2023 there will be 30 cases of bullying in various educational units. If investigated further, as much as 80 percent occurred in educational units under the authority of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbud Ristek), the remaining 20 percent occurred in educational units under the auspices of the Ministry of Religion.

In early 2024, the public was again shocked by news of violence and bullying occurring in school environments. Bitterness and irony. Not without efforts by stakeholders in responding to violence in schools. The efforts in question include the issuance of regulations through Permendikbudristek Number 46 of 2023 concerning Prevention and Handling of Violence in Educational Unit Environments to programs rolled out by the government in collaboration with an international agency specifically for children (United Nation International Children's Emergency Fund/UNICEF) through the program " Roots".

However, violence in the school environment still occurs. Responding to such situations requires finding the root of the problem so that it does not occur in the future. Basic problem solving must be done. Starting from the upstream to downstream side. Solving this problem is also based on the collective awareness of all stakeholders. If this is done consistently, the chain of violence in the school environment can be broken systemically and sustainably.

Humanizing Students

Violence in the school environment carried out by students must be seen comprehensively, not partially, which makes the perpetrators of violence the party most responsible. Because, in essence, incidents of violence in schools do not stand alone. This incident was related to various factors which ultimately gave birth to a portrait of students who were inhumane, who carried out acts of bullying and violence, both verbal and non-verbal, towards their friends who were considered inferior.

The school learning space is not just mechanical learning, namely teachers teaching and students listening, but more than that, the classroom is actually a space for warm conversation between teachers and students. The warmth of conversation in the classroom is realized through methods, content, and interactions between one party and another. In other words, the curriculum that serves as guidance in teaching and learning activities represents the warmth of conversation in the class in question.

The existence of a learning curriculum becomes a material ingredient for creating a learning space ecosystem that provides a warm conversational atmosphere. The relationship between teachers and students is built in a humanistic manner, the relationship between students is mutually respectful and caring. Such as the existence of a curriculum with the Active Student Learning Method (CBSA) model initiated by Conny R. Semiawan, to the Independent Learning Curriculum which is limited to starting in 2021 at Driving Schools in 111 districts/cities, all of which place character education as its main pillar.

The learning space at school essentially aims to form humanistic people, who have an attitude of mutual understanding, tolerance, tolerance, lowering ego, and increasing solidarity. The learning process solely aims to create viewpoints and attitudes that humanize humans. Winkel (1989) states that learning is a mental or psychological process that occurs when we interact actively with the surrounding environment. This process results in changes in knowledge, understanding, skills, and attitudes values. Learning is not just about theory but also practice in everyday life.

Learning to be a humanist means learning to be a more humane person. The learning process is considered successful if one understands the environment and oneself. In the learning process, students must strive to achieve their best potential. Understand the subject of learning behavior from the perspective of the perpetrator, not from the perspective of others. This humanistic theory, in the view of Baharuddin and Makin (2007), places humans as living creatures created by God with certain characteristics. Humanistic theory emphasizes the importance of the content of an eclectic learning process, with the aim of making humans more humane or achieving their best potential.

The efforts made by the government through the independent curriculum instrument condition the birth of humanist students based on moral values ​​in all actions. However, the instruments for producing humanist students are certainly not just from the government side. It requires the involvement of various parties to jointly humanize students which then gives birth to humanist students. This point is a starting point for breaking the chain of violence in the school environment.

Chains of Violence

The practice of violence in the school environment is a very paradoxical anomaly. Schools as a candradimuka crater for cultivating moral values, human values ​​and noble values ​​actually become a breeding ground for violent practices. The most crucial point, the violent incident occurred not just once, but many times. Therefore, breaking the chain of violence in the school environment must be done immediately.

Breaking the chain of violence in schools would certainly be unfair if it were imposed on students who are the central objects of violent conflict in the school environment. In fact, violence that occurs in the school environment is connected by one factor to another, one actor to another, and one cause to another.

Providing education that emphasizes collaboration between various parties is one of the concrete steps to break the chain of violence in the school environment. Because, in essence, the implementation of education in schools involves various parties ranging from parents, students, education providers, to the government. Often, the parties are not in a mutually reinforcing symbiotic relationship.

Not infrequently, the view that arises is that when sending their children to an educational institution, parents' role is considered complete by delegating learning activities to the school. Vice versa, education administrators are of the view that they have completed their duties after holding teaching and learning activities (KBM) in schools. In the same way, the government as the regulator assumes that the implementation of education is considered complete with the formation of policies and budget allocations in the education sector.

This perspective ultimately makes the implementation of education mechanical, where the implementation of education eliminates the conversation process between the parties. The provision of education is simplified through the operationalization of each unit in the education machine according to the machine owner's settings. In fact, the parties involved in this education are none other than humans, not machines or robots who are anti-dialogue and have no room for conversation.

Inclusive conversations carried out by the parties in the implementation of education are a big step in breaking the chain of violence that could arise as a result of disconnected conversations between the parties. The conversation between the parties is not just one-way communication that is instructive in nature. However, the conversation in question is the establishment of a constructive communication system that covers from upstream to downstream.

Ultimately, education is an ideal space to activate conversations built on humanity, equality and freedom. This situation will give birth to an ecosystem that is disciplined but adheres to the principle of independence, and can be directed but not enslaved. As Henry Peter Brougham (1778-1868) mentioned, education makes a person easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.

Satibi Satori, Executive Director of the Center for Educational Policy Studies (Puskapdik), Student of the Doctoral Education Program at the UIN Jakarta Graduate School.

This article was published on https://news.detik.com/kolom/d-7254135/memutus-rantai-kekerasan-di-sekolah, March 22 2024 11:00 WIB.