UNU Jogja Promotes the Joyful School Movement, Hundreds of Teachers Reflect on the Role of Education in Ecological Awareness

Yogyakarta, Indonesia — The Faculty of Education (FIP) of Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Yogyakarta (UNU Jogja), in collaboration with the Joyful School Movement (Gerakan Sekolah Menyenangkan/GSM), held the Ngkaji GSM forum at the UNU Jogja Campus Hall on Saturday, December 20, 2025.

The event was attended by approximately 700 teachers from kindergarten, elementary, junior high, and senior high schools across various regions of Indonesia. The forum featured Dr. Muhammad Nur Rizal, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D., Founder of the Joyful School Movement, as the main speaker, along with Novi Poespita Candra, Ph.D., Co-Founder of GSM.

Also present were Ian Agisti Dewi Rani, S.I.P., M.B.A., Vice Rector for Cooperation, Business, and Creative Funding at UNU Jogja, and Tukiman, S.Pd., M.T., Head of the Senior High School Development Division at the Yogyakarta Special Region Education Office.

In her opening remarks, Vice Rector Ian Agisti Dewi Rani expressed appreciation for the collaboration between GSM and the Faculty of Education at UNU Jogja. She emphasized the importance of synergy between universities, educational communities, and education practitioners in addressing the increasingly complex challenges in the education sector.

The person in charge of the event and a lecturer in the Primary School Teacher Education (PGSD) Program, Dr. Wahyu Purwaningsih, M.Pd., explained that the collaboration between the Faculty of Education and GSM represents a strategic step toward fostering a joyful learning ecosystem that remains relevant to contemporary educational challenges.

She highlighted the Faculty’s commitment to strengthening educator capacity while preparing students—particularly those from the Primary School Teacher Education and English Education programs—to become adaptive, humanistic teachers capable of delivering meaningful learning experiences.

According to her, the collaboration is also expected to continue through sustainable partnerships aimed at strengthening educational practices grounded in human values and ecological awareness.

Human–Nature Relations Highlighted in the Ngkaji GSM Forum

During the main session, Dr. Muhammad Nur Rizal addressed the issue of disasters in Indonesia and reflected on their connection to the role of education and educators. He emphasized that disasters are not solely caused by natural factors but rather result from the intersection between natural phenomena and human unpreparedness.

He explained that nature does not ‘attack’ humans; instead, human actions often exacerbate the impact of disasters. Throughout the history of civilization, nature has indeed altered the course of human life dramatically. However, humans play a crucial role in determining whether such events become valuable lessons or trigger new crises.

According to him, a nation that merely becomes an object of disasters is one that fails to learn from natural events and does not use them as a foundation for developing knowledge and public policy.

“Education that neglects the relationship between humans and nature is essentially preparing the next crisis,” Rizal asserted.

He further emphasized that humans are not the center of nature but rather part of the Earth’s system. Therefore, education plays a strategic role in cultivating ecological awareness, empathy, social responsibility, and a strong commitment to learners. [Latifah]