FKIP News – The Teacher Professional Education Program (PPG) conducted the Global Diversity Awareness Training for Prospective Teachers Batch 2 of 2024 at Mercure Hotel Malang on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. The event, held from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM, was attended by 217 participants from various fields of study, including Indonesian Language (25 participants), Fisheries Agribusiness (34 participants), Elementary Teacher Education (PGSD, 131 participants), and Civic Education (PPKn, 27 participants). The training aimed to equip prospective teachers with global diversity insights and develop an understanding of the importance of cultural, religious, and background diversity in education. Additionally, it sought to prepare teachers to face global challenges and become drivers of inclusive, peaceful, and productive societies in the digital era.
The Dean of FKIP UMM, Prof. Dr. Trisakti Handayani, MM., opened the event with a keynote address titled "Professional Teachers with Global Diversity Awareness." In her remarks, she emphasized the importance of improving teacher competencies to achieve the vision of Indonesian Education 2035, which is to foster lifelong learners who are excellent, progressive, prosperous, and virtuous by promoting Indonesian cultural values and Pancasila principles.
"Teachers must be able to drive the nation forward. The quality of a nation's education depends on the quality of its teachers, and the quality of teachers is determined by their own desire for self-improvement," said Prof. Trisakti. She also highlighted the need for a paradigm shift in education, transitioning from teachers as "learning material providers" to "inspiring teachers" who nurture students' creativity and motivate them to embrace independent learning. Therefore, she added, teachers must possess 21st-century skills: creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration (4C).
Another speaker, Ibnu Hajar, M.Pd., delivered a presentation titled "Professional Teachers in the Frame of Pluralism." He explained that global diversity emphasizes respecting and celebrating cultural, religious, racial, and other forms of diversity in the digital age. "Global diversity opens doors to global collaboration, personal growth, and the creation of peace and harmony," said the alumnus of the PPKn Program who is currently a madrasah supervisor at the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Sumenep, as well as a Madurese poet and cultural activist.
The event also featured a sharing session with various speakers, including Moh. Wahyu Kurniawan, M.Pd., on Global Diversity; Dr. Arina Restian, M.Pd., on Indonesian Diversity; Belinda Dewi Regina, M.Pd., on School Diversity; Drs. Rohmada Widodo, M.Si., on Peaceful Schools; and Fahdian Rahmandani, M.Pd., on Inner Peace.
Furthermore, the winners of the essay competition titled "Student Teachers' Reflections: Becoming Professional Teachers with Integrity and Global Diversity Awareness" were announced. The winners were Mohamad Irgan Fatoni, Ainun Chifa, Aurila Patri Mahaeni, Rafelino Sutan Aghe, and Nahdatul Kurnia.
Other awards included the most active participants in the Google Certified Educator Training and Certification held online on December 14–15, 2024, and the in-person exam conducted on December 16–17, 2024, at the campus. The winners were Amruliana Baliani Putri, Afiatul Nikmah, Ratrianing Tiyas Handayani, and Mirza Madani.
One of the participants, Mohamad Irgan Fatoni, shared his testimony about the event. “This training provided new insights on diversity and how, as prospective teachers, we should be inspiring individuals who understand the importance of diversity in education,” he said.
Through this event, it is hoped that prospective teachers will be better prepared to become professional educators with global diversity awareness and capable of developing students' potential to face the challenges of the times. (*fd)
