Character education

Character education is an investment system the values ​​of the character of the citizens of the school which includes the components of knowledge, awareness or volition, and action to implement these values, both to the Almighty God (Almighty), ourselves, others, environment, and nationality so that a man perfect man. In character education in schools, all the components (stakeholders) should be involved, including the components of education itself, namely the content of curriculum, learning and assessment, quality relationships, handling or management subjects, school management, the implementation of the activity or co-curricular activities , empowerment infrastructure, financing, and all citizens working ethos and the school environment.In spite of various shortcomings in the practice of education in Indonesia, when viewed from the national standard of education is the reference curriculum development (SBC), and implementing learning and assessment in schools, educational purposes in school can actually be met effectively. Character building is also included in the material to be taught and mastered and is realized by learners in everyday life. The problem, character education in schools as long as it touches on the level of introduction of new norms or values, and yet at the level of internalization and action in everyday life.In an effort to improve the appropriateness and quality of character education, the Ministry of National Education to develop a character education grand design for each line, level and type of educational unit. Grand design of a reference conceptual and operational development, implementation, and evaluation on each line and level of education. Configuring the characters in the context of the totality of the psychological and socio-cultural is grouped in: Sports Heart (Spiritual and emotional development), Sports thought (intellectual development), Sports and Kinesthetic (Physical and kinestetic development), and Physical Pain and Karsa (Affective and Creativity development). Development and implementation of character education needs to be done with reference to the grand design.According to Law No 20 of 2003 on National Education System in Article 13 Paragraph 1 states that the line consists of formal education, nonformal, and informal can complement and enrich each other. Informal education is the path of family and environmental education. Informal education actually has a role and contributed greatly to the success of education. Learners to attend a school of only about 7 hours per day, or less than 30%. The rest (70%), learners are in the family and the neighborhood. If viewed from the aspect of quantity of time, education in schools contribute only 30% of the educational outcomes of students.During this time, informal education, especially within the family has not given a significant contribution to supporting the achievement of competence and character formation of students. The flurry of activity and working parents who are relatively high, a lack of understanding of parents in educating children in a family environment, social influences in the environment, and the influence of electronic media suspected to negatively affect the development and achievement of learning outcomes for learners. One alternative to overcome these problems is through an integrated character education, namely to integrate and optimize the activities of informal education family environment with formal education in schools. In this case, the study of students in schools needs to be optimized in order to improve the quality of learning outcomes can be achieved, especially in the character formation of students.Character education can be integrated in the learning in each subject. Instructional material relating to the norms or values ​​in each subject should be developed, dieksplisitkan, associated with the context of everyday life. Thus, learning the values ​​of the character not only on the cognitive level, but it touches on the internalization, and actual practice in the lives of students everyday in the community.Extra-curricular activities are organized during this school is one of the potential media for character building and improving the academic quality of students. Extracurricular activities are educational activities outside of subjects to assist the development of learners in accordance with the needs, potential, talents, and interests through activities that are specifically organized by educators and or education personnel capable and berkewenangan in school. Through extra-curricular activities are expected to develop skills and a sense of social responsibility, as well as the potential and achievements of learners.Character education in schools is also strongly associated with the management or the management of schools. Management question is how character education is planned, implemented, and controlled in educational activities in schools adequately. Management include, among others, the values ​​that need to be implanted, curriculum, learning, assessment, educators and education personnel, and other related components. Thus, the school management is one of the effective medium in character education in schools.According to Mochtar Buchori (2007), character education should bring students to the introduction of the value of the cognitive, affective appreciation in value, and finally to the practice of real value. Character education issues that had been there in the SMP needs to be studied, and look for alternatives, alternative solutions, and need to be developed in a more operational so easily implemented in schools.Character education aims to improve the quality of implementation and educational outcomes in schools that lead to the formation of character and achievement of learners noble character as a whole, integrated, and balanced, according to competency standards. Character education through junior high students are expected to be able to independently increase and use knowledge, to study and internalize and personalize the values ​​of character and noble character that manifests itself in everyday behavior.Character education at the level of institutional culture of schools leads to the formation, namely the values ​​that underlie behavior, traditions, everyday habits, and symbols that are practiced by all schools, and communities around the school. School culture is characterized, the character or disposition, and the school's image in the public eye.Target is a character education throughout the secondary school (SMP) in Indonesia public and private. All citizens of the school, including learners, teachers, administrative staff, and school leaders became targets of this program. The schools that have successfully implemented a character education well serve as best practices, which became an example to be disseminated to other schools.Through this program are expected to graduate school to have faith and devotion to God Almighty, noble, noble character, academic competence and integrated whole, and also have a good personality fit the norms and culture of Indonesia. On a broader level, character education will be expected to be the school culture.The success of character education program can be known through the achievement of the indicators by learners as set out in graduate school Competency Standards, which include the following:A. Practicing religion in accordance with the stages of adolescent development;2. Understand the advantages and disadvantages of self;3. Demonstrate an attitude of confidence;4. Abide by social rules that prevail in the wider environment;5. Appreciate the diversity of religious, cultural, ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups within the national sphere;6. Seek and apply information from the surrounding environment and other sources, logically, critically, and creatively;7. Demonstrated ability to think logically, critically, creatively, and innovative;8. Demonstrated ability to learn independently in accordance with its potential;9. Demonstrated ability to analyze and solve problems in everyday life;10. Describes the social and natural phenomena;11. Utilizing environmentally responsible manner;12. Applying the values ​​of togetherness in the society, nation and the state for the realization of unity within the unitary Republic of Indonesia;13. Appreciate works of art and national culture;14. Appreciate the work tasks and have the ability to work;15. Implement a clean, healthy, fit, safe, and enjoy free time well;16. Communicate and interact effectively and courteously;17. Understanding the rights and obligations of self and others in the association in the community; Respect differences of opinion;18. Show indulgence to read and write short simple texts;19. Demonstrate listening skills, speaking, reading, and writing in Indonesian language and simple English;20. Master the knowledge required to follow secondary education;21. Entrepreneurial spirit.At the school level, the criteria for character education attainment is a culture of schools, namely behavior, traditions, everyday habits, and symbols that are practiced by all schools, and communities around the school should be based on those values.

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