Suwardi Suryaningrat
Raden Mas Suwardi Suryaningrat alias Ki Hajar Dewantara was born in Yogyakarta on 2 May 1889. On 3 February 1928, Suwardi Suryaningrat changed his name to Ki Hajar Dewantara. He comes from a noble family. His father, Kanjeng Pangeran Ario Suryaningrat, and his mother, Raden Ayu Sandiah, were nobles from Puro Pakualaman, Yogyakarta. According to Ki Utomo Darmadi, Hadjar means educator, Dewan means messenger, and Tara means unrivaled. So the meaning of the name Ki Hajar Dewantara is the Unrivaled Educator, Messenger of the People in the Face of Colonialism.
He views the politics of the Dutch East Indies government as very discriminatory towards native people. Therefore, Suwardi Suryaningrat continues to strive to fight for the equal rights of the native people with the colonialists. The following is his journey during his life.
Thanks to his nobility, Suwardi Suryaningrat had the right to study at Europeesche Lagere School (ELS), a Dutch elementary school. After graduating from ELS in 1904, he was offered to become a student at STOVIA (School tot Opleiding Van Indische Artsen) – Javanese Medical School in Jakarta. He accepted the offer and experienced education at STOVIA in 1905-1910. However, due to illness, he did not go to class and his scholarship was revoked. There was a signal that the revocation of his scholarship was not purely due to illness, but because of political content from the Dutch East Indies government. A few days before his scholarship was revoked, Suwardi Suryaningrat alias Ki Hajar Dewantara actually wrote a poem describing the leadership of Ali Basah Sentot Prawirodirdjo, a Diponegoro warlord.
After failing to become a doctor at STOVIA, Suwardi Suryaningrat alias Ki Hajar Dewantara changed his mind to become a journalist and joined various national movement organizations such as Budi Utomo, Sarekat Islam, and Indische Partij. In the Indische Partij, he had a comrade in arms, namely Dr. Ernest François Eugène Douwes Dekker (known as Danudirja Setiabudi) and dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo. The three of them were nicknamed the "Triad".
Suwardi Suryaningrat's criticism became increasingly harsh, he once opposed the celebration of 100 years of Dutch independence in Indonesia. According to him, colonialists should not celebrate independence in their colonies, even if it was financed by the native people. He channeled this protest through a treatise entitled "Als ik eens Nederlander was" (If I were a Dutchman) in July 1913. This treatise, which was printed in 5,000 copies, made the Dutch East Indies government furious.
After that, the "Three Triads" were exiled to the Netherlands. In another country, Suwardi Suryaningrat lives with all his limitations. He survived by being a journalist for Dutch newspapers and magazines. The Dutch newspapers which were very friendly towards the Tiga Serangkai, namely "Het Volk" and "De Nieuwe Grone Amsterdamer" gave the Tiga Serangkai the opportunity to write and channel their thoughts about the ideals of the Indonesian struggle for independence. Thanks to the influence of the Tiga Serangkai, the gathering of Indonesian students in the Netherlands who were members of "Indische Vereeniging" increasingly emphasized the spirit of nationalism and the spirit of independence, and dared to change its name to "Perhimpunan Indonesia". It was knowledge and understanding of the social history of education that enlightened Suwardi Suryaningrat's thoughts and thinking, even when he was undergoing exile in the Netherlands. It was there that he studied a lot of education and teaching issues.
After returning to Indonesia, Suwardi Suryaningrat was reminded by his wife about the idea he had conveyed to K. H. Ahmad Dahlan about the existence of a national university that would educate struggle cadres to oppose the colonialists. In the end, he and his friends founded the "National Onderwijs Instituut Taman Siswa" in Yogyakarta on July 3 1922. The National Institute of Taman Siswa opened schools at various levels, from kindergarten to high school. The birth of Taman Siswa National College received a good welcome from the public. Hundreds of Taman Siswa National Universities are growing everywhere, imbued with the spirit of love for the Motherland. Suwardi Suryaningrat with its Student Park is famous everywhere. With the establishment of Taman Siswa, Suwardi Suryaningrat has succeeded in establishing an educational institution that lays the foundations of liberating education as well as laying the foundations for the national education system in the country.Suwardi
After leading the Taman Siswa National College which had been spread throughout Indonesia for 37 years, Ki Hajar Dewantara died on April 26 1959 at Padepokan Ki Hajar Dewantara. He is buried in the Great Pendopo Taman Siswa Yogyakarta. The departure of Suwardi Suryaningrat or Ki Hajar Dewantara did not just end his struggle. Ki Hajar Dewantara has left a very important legacy for Indonesia, especially in the field of education. He inherited an education system and fighting spirit for the nation's children to pursue a decent education.
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