Some people think that paying taxes is enough to contribute to the society. Others argue that being a citizen involves more responsibilities. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

KH. Abdul

Wahid

Hasyim

’s Paradigm on

Freedom

of Learning (Merdeka Belajar): A Historical Analysis On 11 February 2022, Nadiem Makarim, the Minister of

Education

and Culture of

Indonesia

launched officially the “Merdeka Belajar” curriculum as an effort in enhancing and preparing students to live in

this

digital society (Tempo, 11 February 2022). On

this

occasion, Makarim

also

introduces the Merdeka Mengajar (

Freedom

of Teaching) platform which teachers can access and utilize by using their smartphones.

This

application offers numerous learning materials to upgrade their knowledge, improve their teaching skills, and share their work. Another purpose of

this

platform is to become user-generated content where all teachers across

Indonesia

can upload and share their experiences on it (YouTube Kemendikbud RI, 11 February 2022). Interestingly, the concept of

Freedom

of Learning, as Makarim said, is inspired by Ki Hadjar Dewantara's philosophy on

education

.

However

, when looking back at Indonesian history, Ki Hajar Dewantara was not the only figure who offered

this

notion. Another influential figure in terms of educational transformation was KH. Abdul

Wahid

Hasyim

, the son of KH.

Hasyim

Asy’ari, the founder of Nahdlatul Ulama and the first Minister of Religious Affairs of

Indonesia

.

For instance

, he changed the point of view of students and teachers that generally regarded objects of

education

to be the subjects of

education

. He

then

tried to implement

this

way of thinking in his father's

Islamic

educational system of

Pesantren

Tebuireng.

Therefore

, Zamakhshari Dhofier in his work Tradisi

Pesantren

Memadu Modernitas Bangsa (2009) states that

Wahid

Hasyim

was a prominent figure who successfully combined the

pesantren

tradition into the nation's modernity vision that was second to none at the time. It can be said that

Wahid

Hasyim

was one of the national figures who promoted

freedom

of learning, particularly in

pesantren

and

madrasah

in

Indonesia

.

Furthermore

, during his reign as the Minister of Religious Affairs of

Indonesia

, he had a big contribution in introducing “secular subjects” to

madrasah

as a significant part of today’s

Islamic

schools in

Indonesia

including

Islamic

junior high school (

Madrasah

Tsanawiyah) and

Islamic

senior high school (

Madrasah

Aliyah) in

Indonesia

.

This

policy, in my opinion, has a pivotal role in establishing

Indonesia

Muslims today that well-known as moderate Muslims that significantly different from other Muslim communities

such

as

This

article discusses

Wahid

Hasyim

’s thoughts on

freedom

of learning and his efforts in implementing his ideas both in

Pesantren

Tebuireng in Jombang East Java and in

madrasah

schools across

Indonesia

.

This

writing is divided into four parts consisting of an introduction, a brief biography of

Wahid

Hasyim

, his ideas on

freedom

of learning, and his efforts in implementing his notions.