Being poor is no fun, but there is something much more unpleasant which is lack of knowledge. Moreover, poor knowledge could narrow the opportunities of many things. UNESCO on its website reveals that literacy can make humans more empowered, enabling them to participate in society and play a role in building a decent life. However, unfortunately, some studies have shown unfavorable results, that the level of literacy in Indonesia is still low.
Based on research conducted by PISA, the Program for International Assessment, Indonesia is ranked 62 out of 70 countries with Science, Mathematics, and Reading as tested materials. Even worse, based on research conducted by CCSU (Central Connecticut State University), 61 countries that participated in this study, Indonesia is in second place, which is ranked 60th out of 61 countries with five indicators of literacy health assessment: library, newspapers, education, and the availability of computers. One level superior to Botswana. Is it bad? Yes, it could be bad, knowing that literacy plays an important role in human life. Therefore, CLC Titian Foundation Bayat participates in improving the literacy quality for the surrounding community.
Library is one of the important facilities provided by Titian. Over four thousand collections of books make reading activity a very fun thing to do, both for kids and adults. Titian library has become a sanctuary where people release their stress and relax for a moment. The adventures and experiences in various stories in the books are very interesting and motivating to be enjoyed. So, if there’s a teacher who says, “Our students don’t like to read,” then the problem may not be the students, but lack of education regarding the importance of reading, the lack of book variants, or the time availability. Besides, through various literacy-themed programs, we also continue to participate in inviting the public to improve reading quality, such as reading in depth, book reviews, school visits, workshops, and other programs.
Various programs to improve reading quality are carried out in Titian so that people can understand what reading actually means more deeply, knowing that it is not solely an activity to entertain or just to fill spare time. It is also a learning process, getting to know self, self-development and mindset explaining. Book reviewing and Literacy Program are two programs that are highly anticipated by the participants. Both of them are enriching reading skills, such as book in-depth understanding or dissecting the meanings and values contained in reading activity. The book review session is joined by adolescents or early adulthood and the Literacy Program is joined by elementary or even kindergarten students. This program is very useful because in this program we discuss with each other about how readings could be understood, how to take values from reading, and then apply it in everyday life.
Not only that, various supporting classes and workshops were held. All this time the literacy movement is focused on the age of students and CLC Titian continues to reach out to parents as well as educators through workshops. So, the literacy movement does not only run in the school area or CLC Titian but also from home with parents. Even more, to support the community’s needs for preserving culture, new knowledge, and technology, various classes such as computer classes, dance, batik, and crafting were also presented to become a community learning platform with competent tutors and very affordable administrative costs. (Damarjati, 2019)
At this time, during the pandemic, many programs could not be conducted, but it is a new challenge for us Titian Bayat CLC activists, to continue to take advantage of the existing conditions and facilities. So, we can continue to play a role in facilitating education for the Bayat community and its surroundings in learning, exploring, and exercising creativity. Tiza, one of CLC Titian Bayat’s visitors, said that CLC Titian is a heaven for learners. “Literacy is the answer,” said John Trischitti, and we hope that CLC Titian Bayat can provide answers of people’s concerns and needs for many things. (NL)
Reference:
Damarjati, Danu. (2019, January 5th). Benarkah Minat Baca Orang Indonesia Serendah Ini?. DetikNews. Accessed on November 11th of 2020, from https://news.detik.com/berita/d-4371993/benarkah-minat-baca-orang-indonesia-serendah-ini
https://en.unesco.org/themes/literacy