As the morning bell rings at an elementary school in Yogyakarta, students do more than open their textbooks. Some head to the school garden to water vegetable beds. Others sort organic and inorganic waste before class begins, while another group carefully checks the growth of young trees they planted weeks earlier. For these children, learning is no longer confined within classroom walls. Nature itself has become their teacher.
On May 2, 2026, Indonesia commemorates National Education Day (Hari Pendidikan Nasional), honoring the legacy of Ki Hadjar Dewantara, the father of Indonesian education. More than a celebration of schools and teachers, this year's observance offers an opportunity to reaffirm that environmental stewardship is not an extracurricular activity, but an essential component of character education. As Indonesia confronts climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and waste management challenges, nurturing environmentally conscious citizens from an early age has become one of the country's most valuable investments.
Learning with Nature, Not Only About Nature
Ki Hadjar Dewantara believed that education should develop children according to their kodrat alam—their natural environment and circumstances. His philosophy emphasized that learning should connect knowledge with daily life, allowing students to grow intellectually while remaining rooted in their surroundings.
Today, this vision resonates strongly with environmental education.
Rather than relying solely on lectures and memorization, schools across Indonesia are increasingly embracing outdoor learning experiences. Students monitor school gardens, observe biodiversity, learn about water conservation, and explore local ecosystems firsthand. These activities transform abstract environmental concepts into meaningful experiences that foster curiosity, empathy, and responsibility.
As environmental activist and founder of Waste4Change, Mohamad Bijaksana Junerosano, has often said, "Waste is not merely an environmental problem—it reflects our behavior and our culture." His observation highlights that sustainable habits begin with education, where values are shaped long before adulthood.
Teaching children to appreciate forests, rivers, wildlife, and clean neighborhoods is ultimately teaching them to respect the communities that depend on these natural systems.
Character Education Begins with Small Daily Habits
Environmental responsibility is often built through simple routines rather than grand campaigns.
Across many Indonesian schools, students are encouraged to participate in the LISA (Lihat Sampah Ambil) movement, which promotes the habit of picking up litter whenever it is encountered. Although modest, the practice reinforces discipline, personal responsibility, and care for shared spaces.
Waste separation has also become an engaging learning activity. By distinguishing organic waste from recyclable materials, children begin understanding how everyday choices influence landfills, rivers, and oceans. Some schools have expanded these lessons through eco-brick projects, where non-recyclable plastic packaging is compressed into plastic bottles to create durable construction materials for school furniture or garden features.
Another increasingly popular initiative is the "Adopt a Plant" programme. Students take responsibility for nurturing a tree, medicinal herb, or vegetable throughout the school year. Watering and observing a living plant teaches patience while illustrating how consistent care supports life.
These daily practices reflect the essence of budi pekerti—the moral character that Ki Hadjar Dewantara regarded as the foundation of education. Caring for the environment becomes an expression of kindness, discipline, and mutual respect.
Building the Profile of Future Citizens
Environmental education also aligns closely with Indonesia's Kurikulum Merdeka, particularly the vision of the Profil Pelajar Pancasila.
Students are encouraged to become globally minded citizens who understand that local actions contribute to global sustainability. Reducing plastic waste in Surabaya, protecting mangroves in North Sumatra, or planting trees in West Java may appear local, but each contributes to broader efforts against climate change and biodiversity loss.
The value of gotong royong remains equally important. Community clean-up activities, tree planting campaigns, river restoration projects, and school composting programmes demonstrate how collective action creates lasting environmental improvements.
According to UNESCO, education is among the most powerful tools for achieving sustainable development because it equips individuals with the knowledge, values, and skills needed to address environmental challenges. In Indonesia, where more than 50 million students attend schools from primary to secondary level, integrating sustainability into education has the potential to shape one of the world's largest generations of environmentally responsible citizens.
Schools Leading Indonesia's Green Transition
Environmental education extends beyond classrooms into the way schools themselves operate.
Indonesia's Adiwiyata Programme, developed by the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, has encouraged thousands of schools to adopt environmentally friendly management practices. Participating schools improve waste management, conserve water and energy, increase green spaces, and integrate environmental themes into teaching and extracurricular activities.
Many Adiwiyata schools have introduced refill stations to reduce single-use plastic bottles, compost organic waste for school gardens, harvest rainwater, and establish biodiversity corners where students can observe native plants and insects.
These initiatives demonstrate that schools can serve as living laboratories for sustainability.
As Professor Emil Salim, one of Indonesia's foremost environmental thinkers, once observed, "Environmental conservation is not an obstacle to development. It is a prerequisite for sustainable development." His words remind educators that environmental responsibility should not be viewed as an additional subject but as a guiding principle that shapes every aspect of learning.
Equally important are parents and teachers, whose daily actions often influence children more profoundly than formal lessons. Carrying reusable water bottles, bringing cloth shopping bags, reducing food waste, and conserving electricity provide practical examples that reinforce classroom values.
Educating for a Greener Indonesia
National Education Day ultimately celebrates more than academic achievement. It celebrates the ability of education to shape compassionate, responsible, and resilient citizens.
Indonesia's environmental future will depend not only on advanced technology or ambitious government policies but also on the everyday choices made by millions of young people. Those choices are first learned at home, strengthened at school, and reinforced within the wider community—reflecting Ki Hadjar Dewantara's enduring concept of Tri Pusat Pendidikan, the three centers of education consisting of the family, the school, and society.
As Indonesia continues pursuing sustainable development, environmental education represents one of its greatest opportunities. Every school garden tended by students, every piece of litter picked up through the LISA movement, every tree planted, and every reusable bottle carried to class helps cultivate a generation that sees protecting nature not as an obligation, but as a way of life.
On this National Education Day, Indonesia celebrates not only the transmission of knowledge but also the nurturing of green hearts. By teaching today's children to live in harmony with nature, the nation is planting the seeds of a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future for generations to come.
