Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat, or better known as Ki Hadjar Dewantara, was the founder of the Taman Siswa College, an educational institution that provided opportunities for the common natives to obtain the right to education like the aristocrats and the Dutch.
Ki Hadjar Dewantara was born in Yogyakarta on May 2, 1889 with the name Raden Mas Soewardi Soeryaningrat. Ki Hajar Dewantara grew up in the Yogyakarta royal family. When he was even 40 years old according to the Caka Year count, Raden Mas Soewardi Soeryaningrat changed his name to Ki Hadjar Dewantara. Since then, Ki Hadjar Dewantara no longer uses the title of nobility in front of his name.
This was intended so that Ki Hadjar Dewantara could be free to be close to the people, both physically and mentally. Ki Hadjar Dewantara finished elementary school at ELS (Dutch Elementary School) and then continued his studies at STOVIA (Bumiputera Medical School) but due to illness, he could not finish school.
Ki Hadjar Dewantara then worked as a journalist at several newspapers including Sedyotomo, Midden Java, De Express, Oetoesan Indies, Kaoem Moeda, Tjahaja Timoer and Poesara. In his time, Ki Hadjar Dewantara was known as a reliable writer. His writings are very communicative, sharp and patriotic so that they are able to evoke an anti-colonial spirit in their readers.
Apart from working as a young journalist, Ki Hadjar Dewantara is also active in various social and political organizations. In 1908, Ki Hadjar Dewantara was active in the Boedi Oetomo propaganda section to socialize and raise the awareness of the Indonesian people at that time regarding the importance of unity and integrity in the nation and state. Then, together with Douwes Dekker (Dr. Danudirdja Setyabudhi) and dr. Cipto Mangoenkoesoemo who would later be known as Tiga Serangkai, Ki Hadjar Dewantara founded the Indische Partij (the first political party with an Indonesian nationalist wing) on December 25, 1912 with the aim of achieving an independent Indonesia.
They tried to register this organization to obtain legal entity status with the Dutch colonial government. But the Dutch colonial government through the Governor General Idenburg rejected the registration on March 11, 1913 because this organization was considered to be able to arouse a sense of nationalism and people’s unity to oppose the Dutch colonial government.
His enthusiasm doesn’t stop here. In November 1913, Ki Hadjar Dewantara formed the Bumipoetra Committee which aimed to criticize the Dutch Government. One way is to publish articles entitled Als Ik Eens Nederlander Was (If I Were a Dutchman) and Een voor Allen maar Ook Allen voor Een (One for All, but All for One Too) where these two writings have become well-known writings to this day. The writing If I were a Dutchman was published in the newspaper de Expres owned by dr. Douwes Decker.
As a result of his essay, the Dutch colonial government through Governor General Idenburg sentenced Ki Hadjar Dewantara to exile. Douwes Dekker and Cipto Mangoenkoesoemo, who felt their comrades in arms were being treated unfairly, published articles defending Ki Hadjar Dewantara. Knowing this, the Netherlands decided to sentence both of them to exile. Douwes Dekker was exiled to Kupang while Cipto Mangoenkoesoemo was exiled to Banda Island.
But they wanted to be exiled to the Netherlands because there they could learn many things than in remote areas. Finally they were allowed to go to the Netherlands since August 1913 as part of the execution of sentences. This opportunity was used to study education and teaching issues, so that Ki Hadjar Dewantara succeeded in obtaining the Europeesche Deed. In 1918, Ki Hadjar Dewantara returned to his homeland.
In his homeland, Ki Hadjar Dewantara increasingly paid attention to education as part of the means of the struggle for independence. Together with his comrades in arms, he also founded a college with a national character which was named National Onderwijs Instituut Taman Siswa (Taman Siswa National College) on July 3, 1922. This college emphasized the education of a sense of nationality to students so that they would love their nation and homeland. and fought for independence. The Dutch colonial government tried to block it by issuing the Wild School Ordinance on October 1, 1932.
But with tenacity to fight for their rights, the ordinance was later revoked. While devoting attention to the world of education at Taman Siswa, Ki Hadjar Dewantara also continued to write diligently. However, the theme of his writing shifted from political overtones to education and culture with a national perspective. It was through these writings that he succeeded in laying the foundations of national education for the Indonesian people. This writing activity continued until the Japanese Occupation era.
When the Japanese Government formed the People’s Power Center (Putera) in 1943, Ki Hajar was appointed to be one of the leaders along with Ir. Sukarno, Drs. Muhammad Hatta and K.H. Mas Mansur. After Indonesia’s independence was wrested from the hands of the invaders and the stability of the government was formed.
Ki Hadjar Dewantara was trusted by President Soekarno to become the first Minister of Education, Teaching and Culture. Through this position, Ki Hadjar Dewantara has more freedom to improve the quality of education in Indonesia. In 1957, Ki Hadjar Dewantara received an Honorary Doctorate degree from Gajah Mada University.
Two years after receiving the Doctor Honoris Causa title, on April 28, 1959, Ki Hadjar Dewantara died in Yogyakarta and was buried there. Now, the name Ki Hadjar Dewantara is not only enshrined as a figure and hero of education (father of National Education) whose date of birth May 2 was made National Education Day, but also designated as a Hero of the National Movement through Presidential Decree No. 305 of 1959, dated 28 November 1959.
His teachings, namely tut wuri handayani (giving encouragement in the back), ing madya mangun karsa (in the middle creating opportunities to initiate), ing ngarsa sungtulada (in front of giving an example) will always be the basis of education in Indonesia. To commemorate Ki Hadjar Dewantara’s services, the successor to the Taman Siswa school established the Dewantara Kirti Griya Museum, Yogyakarta, to preserve the values of Ki Hadjar Dewantara’s fighting spirit.
In this museum there are objects or works of Ki Hadjar as the founder of Taman Siswa and his work in the life of the nation. The museum’s collections in the form of written works or concepts and important treatises as well as data from correspondence during Ki Hadjar’s lifetime as a journalist, educator, humanist and as an artist have been recorded on microfilm and laminated with the assistance of the National Archives.
