From Discussion Room to the Nation’s Future: Why Can the Curriculum Become a Matter of Life and Death for Indonesia?
By: Dr. Ali Aminulloh, M.Pd.I. ME
What would happen if the curriculum were no longer just a list of subjects, but a roadmap for a civilization?
What would happen if the meeting room became a space for reflection on faith, nation, power, and the future of Indonesia?
On Thursday morning, January 29, 2026, in the distinctive room of the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Al Zaytun Mosque, a curriculum discussion transformed into a forum for awareness. It wasn’t just about how children learn to read or count, but why a nation must learn to survive.
The forum was called the L-STEAMS Curriculum Discussion.
Chaired by Sheikh AS Panji Gumilang, this third meeting was not aimed from the outset at simply perfecting academic documents. “The curriculum,” the Sheikh emphasized, “is the foundation for conveying our vision and mission in life.” Therefore, it cannot be superficial. It must be based on faith, history, art, law and the experience of great nations that have fallen and risen again.
Curriculum and National Creed
This is where the discussion starts to move beyond the ordinary. L-STEAMS is not just an abbreviation for a scientific discipline. Law animates all elements. Spirituality does not stop at rituals, but is drawn to the roots of the Sharia Aqidah as a national belief.
Syaykh invited participants to rethink the meaning of aqidah: not just the pillars of faith, but the binding force of collective beliefs, such as the oath “One Nusa, One Nation, One Language.” That is the Indonesian creed.
He said the road map for building faith is in three stanzas, like the principles of life and living: roots, stems and fruit. Ontology, epistemology and axiology which in the language of tauhid mean rububiyah, mulkiyah and uluhiyah. That’s where the curriculum should stand.
Stalin, Hitler, and the Lessons of Resilience
Unexpectedly, the curriculum discussion reflected on world history. Shaykh tells the story of Stalin. He is a figure who is often portrayed as bad by the West, but has one strength: steadfastness in keeping his promises and courage to defend his homeland.
When Stalingrad was stepped on by the Nazis, when millions of Soviet people died in temperatures of minus 46 degrees, Stalin did not give up. He secured factories, ordered tank production in the midst of the war, and finally pushed back as far as East Berlin.
The message is sharp: a nation can be destroyed physically, but it will not collapse if its creed lives on.
“Those who win are those who have confidence,” said Syaykh. And that is what we want to instill from an early age through the curriculum.
Nationalism that Never Gives Up
For Syaykh, true nationalism is not a slogan. Nationalism is surviving while continuing to move forward despite being attacked. Education, he said, is the ultimate symbol of that resilience.
He reminded: great world figures were not born from great lineages. Hitler was just a corporal. Stalin once dreamed of becoming a priest. But their ideological beliefs made them change the course of history.
Indonesia, according to him, is currently in a vortex of global pressure. Enter BRICS, then be faced with major agreements. A nation without a national creed will easily falter.
From “Students” to “Sprouts”
The discussion became very concrete when it touched on early childhood education. The Sheikh did not use the term “early childhood education students.” He said that early childhood education children are “Sprouts,” not merely participants in learning, but the seeds of the nation’s future.
“Sprouts are very important,” he said. “If the shoots are damaged, the tree will never be strong.”
Assessments are no longer just numbers, but rather daily narratives. Early childhood education teachers are required to truly understand children, not just fill out report cards. It is even recommended that early childhood education teachers be those who are mature in life experience, because that is where the foundation of human development is formed.
Art, Humor, and Beauty in Science
L-STEAMS also positions Art not as an add-on, but as the spirit of learning. Science without beauty would be rigid. Law without art would be oppressive. Humor, jokes, and gestures are all part of the hindam, a graceful and humane lifestyle of science.
“If you’re good at joking, you won’t even feel the impact of a punch,” said Syaykh with a laugh, recalling his experience in court. Art, for him, is a way to maintain humanity.
Curriculum as Living History
Towards the end, Syaykh emphasized: all drafts must be printed, read, analyzed, annotated, saved, and documented. Even the scribbles are history. The curriculum isn’t born in one go. It’s tested, changed, and explored, but remains grounded in principles.
Indonesia, he said, changes its curriculum too often due to changes in ministers. That’s a sign of immaturity. Great nations maintain their curricula, merely adapting them to suit the times.
The discussion concluded at 12:07. But in reality, what was closed was only the meeting. The question had just begun:
Will our education continue to be an administrative routine,
or will we dare to become a roadmap to safeguard the nation’s eternity?
At Al Zaytun that day, the curriculum was no longer just a school matter.
It became an educator’s pledge for a Greater Indonesia.**
Indonesia, January 31, 2026
——-
