Java, as the most populated island in Indonesia, have a total population of 141.000.000 people (National Statistical Bureau, 2012). Surprisingly, while it is also deemed as the most developed island in comparison with other areas in the country, Java is also one of the biggest contributor in national illiteracy number. As quoted from a statement made by the directorate general of early age education and people education -Harris Iskandar- from about 5.900.000 illiterate population in Indonesia, 3.006.245 lives in Java. That number is then spread out to 1.458.184 illiterates in East Java, 943.683 in Central Java, while the other 604.378 lives in West Java.
Although a claimed 97.93% decline in national illiteracy number since the new presidency took place back in 2014 seems to be an outstanding achievement, it is still far from a total eradication of illiteracy. Literacy is important; from an individual perspective, one needs adequate literacy skills to participate and function happily within –and contribute to- one’s communities. From a collective perspective, a literate community is a dynamic community; a community that exchanges ideas, engages in dialogue is more innovative and productive. The sharing of ideas, perspectives, and concerns also leads to greater level of mutual understanding and caring. Our economy is also enhanced when literacy number goes up. Effective literacy skills open up doors to more educational and employment opportunities so that people are able to pull themselves out of poverty and chronic underemployment. In our increasingly complex and rapidly changing technological world, it is essential that individuals continuously expand their knowledge and learn new skills in order to keep up with the pace of change.
Faced with such essential and critical situation, Universitas Gadjah Mada –as the oldest and the first state university in Indonesia- has the moral obligation to elevate the literate statistic graph. In order to do so, “Illiteracy Eradication” has been a continuous Students Community Service-Community Empowerment Learning (SCS-CEL) theme since early 2006. Third year strata one UGM students and several international students are then sent to every corners of Indonesia to take on the literacy mission.
Partnering with the Ministry of National Education, a total of 490 SCS-CEL students in 2006 and 815 students in 2007, focused themselves in allover Java and Madura Island to eradicate illiteracy. This mission is done through different creative and innovative approaches; some SCS-CEL units developed a new creative learning methodology to teach reading and writing to elementary age children, while some others tried a more culture based approach when it comes to educating the elderly. For example, elementary age children are introduced to a more first-hand experience oriented learning outside their classical classroom while the elderly are gathered in a performance of Java Wayang Puppet in which the importance of learning and literacy are emphasized. Both type of approach proved to be appealing for those age groups, as there is a steep incline in numbers of participants; 2509 participants in 2006 to over 12.000 participants in 2007.
Through the years, students participating in SCS-CEL UGM program are delighted to learn with the continuously reducing illiteracy rate in Java and Madura Island. Only through hard work and relentless effort, this illiteracy eradication program gained a 86.3% success ratio in 2006 and 87.5% success ratio in 2007. To this day, this program has been a symbol of UGM’s commitment to the development and quality enhancement of all Indonesian citizens.