Ki Hajar Dewantara

Hello. You may know me by my famous name, Ki Hajar Dewantara, but when I was born, my name was Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat. I was born on May 2nd, 1889, into a noble family in a beautiful place called Yogyakarta, Indonesia. In those days, my country was known as the Dutch East Indies. Even though I was a prince and had many privileges, I noticed something that made me sad. I saw that so many children just like me, living all across my homeland, were not able to go to school. A big dream began to grow in my heart: I wanted to change that and make sure every child had the chance to learn.

As I grew older, I knew I had to do something to help my people. I decided to become a writer and a journalist, using words as my tools. At that time, Indonesia was ruled by the Dutch government, and I believed this was unfair to my people. I wanted us to be free and to make our own choices. In 1913, I wrote a very famous article titled 'If I Were a Dutchman.' In it, I questioned how the colonial government could celebrate its own freedom while ruling over another country. My words were powerful, but they angered the government. Because of what I wrote, I was sent away from my home and forced to live in a faraway country called the Netherlands.

I lived in the Netherlands from 1913 until 1919. Being sent away from my home was difficult, but I used my time there to learn as much as I could. I studied how children learn best and what makes a good school. My passion for education grew even stronger. When I was finally allowed to return home, I knew exactly what my mission was. On July 3rd, 1922, I opened my very own school. I gave it a special name: Taman Siswa. In my language, this means 'Garden of Students.' I chose this name because I believed that children were like plants in a garden. I wanted my school to be a joyful, natural, and caring place where students could grow and blossom into their best selves.

My Taman Siswa schools were different from the schools the government had built. They were open to everyone, not just the children of rich or noble families. I believed that every child deserved to learn. I developed three special rules for teaching that I shared with all my teachers. First, a teacher must lead by giving a good example. Second, a teacher must work among the students to build up their spirits and help their ideas grow. And third, a teacher should encourage students from behind, giving them the confidence to find their own way. To show that I was a teacher for all people, I changed my name from Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat to Ki Hajar Dewantara, leaving my noble title behind.

After many years of hard work by many people, a very exciting time arrived for my country. In 1945, Indonesia finally became an independent nation, free to govern itself. This was a dream come true. Because I had spent my life working to educate our people, I was given a very important job. I was asked to be the very first Minister of Education and Culture for our new nation. I was filled with pride to have the chance to help build a school system for a free Indonesia, where every single child would have the opportunity to get an education and follow their dreams.

I lived to be almost 70 years old, passing away on April 26th, 1959. Even though my life ended, my ideas about education lived on and continued to grow. Today, I am honored and remembered as the Father of National Education in Indonesia. To celebrate the importance of learning, my birthday, May 2nd, is now celebrated every year as National Education Day. My most famous motto, 'Tut Wuri Handayani,' which means encouraging students from behind, is still used by schools all across my beloved country, reminding everyone that a teacher’s job is to help children lead the way.