Public Relations of UPNVJ - The Chancellor of the National Development University “Veteran” Jakarta (UPNVJ) Anter Venus ignited the spirit of mutual cooperation in his speech at the 79th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia at the Pondok Labu Campus of UPNVJ, Saturday, August 17, 2024.

He emphasized that one of the most meaningful lessons in the journey of the Indonesian nation and state is the spirit of mutual cooperation.

"There will be no independence without a struggle carried out through mutual cooperation," said Venus, who acted as the ceremony inspector and read out the speech of the Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology.

Indonesia's independence is the fruit of a movement towards a common ideal, Venus continued. Likewise with the ideal of advancing education and culture, which must be fought for together with a spirit of mutual cooperation.

In the past five years, UPNVJ has been fighting in the Merdeka Belajar movement. Venus considers this as a struggle, because the path taken is not easy.

National Curriculum and Independent Campus

UPNVJ has made major changes in many things, from systems, working methods, to mindsets.

"We have faced various challenges and difficulties together, and we are now enjoying the sweet fruits of that struggle," said Venus.

Students now have the opportunity to explore their interests and potential with the Merdeka Curriculum, which has been implemented as a national curriculum since this year. Millions of college graduates, including those from UPNVJ, have gained better job opportunities because of their experience in the Merdeka Campus program.

The commitment to continue to stand by the teachers has also been realized with the appointment of hundreds of thousands of honorary teachers as ASN PPPK. Likewise, the Teacher Mover Education which focuses on improving teacher leadership has now produced hundreds of thousands of educators, principals, and school supervisors who dare to create meaningful change.

All of this is supported by the largest digital transformation in Indonesia's history, which has given birth to many breakthroughs that help teachers and principals create a student-centered learning environment.

The cultural ecosystem is also growing thanks to support for individuals and communities in the fields of arts, language and literature. Domestically, the spirit of creativity is increasingly vibrant, and abroad the name of Indonesia is increasingly being reckoned with.

The Future of Indonesia

This is evident from the recognition of Indonesian as the official language of the UNESCO conference last year. "And there are many more proud achievements that we have achieved together in the last five years," said Venus.

At the end of her speech, Venus conveyed the spirit of the Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology and thanked all the movers and fighters of Merdeka Belajar from Sabang to Merauke. All of these fighters include teachers and lecturers, parents, artists and cultural actors, as well as students.

"The Independent Learning Movement is just the starting point, it is still far from perfect, we have not reached the finish line, and the journey ahead will certainly still have many challenges," said Venus.

Like Bung Karno's message for us to continue to fill Indonesia's independence, let us continue the struggle to advance Indonesian education and culture. For that, let us continue to strengthen our determination and steps of struggle to bring Indonesia to leap into the future," he concluded.