Published: 22 Jun 2022

Two International Relations (IR) students, President University (PresUniv), managed to achieve a proud achievement in the prestigious events. They are Shabil Syach Pachlefi and Gesckya Shalsabilla Dewi Wahyuni, IR students batch 2020, who won 2nd place with a final score of 83.0 at the Pertemuan Sela Nasional Mahasiswa Hubungan Internasional se-Indonesia (PSNMHII). Their scores are only 0.5 different from the University of Indonesia team who won 1st place. PSNMHII 2022 was held in Bandung, Monday to Friday (13-17 June 2022). The main theme was Quality of Education. Improving Inclusive Education in Indonesia with a total of more than 250 students participating from International Relations Study Programs throughout Indonesia.

At PSNMHII 2022, Shabil and Gesckya competed in the Scientific Discussion (DISIL) which brought up the issue of the quality of education in Indonesia with three study focuses or subtopics, namely Social, Economic, and Geography. Gesckya said, they joined for the subtopic of Geography with 13 other universities, such as the University of Indonesia, Padjadjaran University, London School of Public Relations (LSPR), and others. Gesckya explained, “This subtopic seems very difficult compared to the others. This is an opportunity for us, because it is rare for students to discuss it.” In this subtopic, the two students discuss the problem of education in one of the indigenous peoples in Indonesia, namely the Orang Rimba Ethnic group located in the Taman Nasional Hutan Bukit Duabelas, Jambi. The title of the scientific discussion was Suku Marginal Indonesia: Akses Kesetaraan Pendidikan Inklusif Bagi Suku Orang Rimba dan Perlindungan Adat.

Gesckya said that the issue they emphasized was that of inclusive education. For most people, they discuss inclusive education only for people with disability. “In fact, there are indigenous peoples, such as the Orang Rimba, who have educational problems with the geography factor in them. They need a special curriculum that is in line with customs and habits,” she stressed. Based on this issue, they offered the solution "Marginal Sustain Smart Education (MSSE)" as an inclusive education approach for Orang Rimba by providing competent teaching staff, who have been equipped with capacity building skills, an Orang Rimba specific education curriculum, and access to population data. Apart from that, there are also external solutions, such as equal distribution of corporate taxes in the Taman Nasional Hutan Bukit Duabelas, Jambi, the funds could be used as an education allocation fund for Orang Rimba, as well as socializing the curriculum for indigenous peoples that protects their customs and habits. (Silvia Desi Betrice, PR team. Photo: Gesckya Shalsabilla Dewi Wahyuni)