COMPARISON OF CHARACTER EDUCATION IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM IN INDONESIA AND MALAYSIA

Abstract

Character education is currently an issue that is receiving serious attention from governments in various countries. The main focus of this discussion is human resource development through instilling character values. One of the education sectors that has implemented character education comprehensively, both in curriculum development and field activities, is basic education. Basic education institutions have a big responsibility in developing and implementing character education to advance national civilization. This character education is based on basic values ​​that are rooted in community life, with the hope of producing quality individuals in all dimensions of their personality, especially in the educational context. This research aims to describe the comparison of character education in the elementary school curriculum between two countries, namely Indonesia and Malaysia. This research is library research, which was carried out using data collection techniques through reviewing books, literature, notes, and various reports related to the problem to be solved. Based on the analysis of various curriculum documents, it was found that both countries, Indonesia and Malaysia, have implemented character education both in the curriculum and in educational activities. There are similarities and differences between character education in the two countries, which can be seen from three main aspects: character education in the curriculum, character values ​​in the curriculum, and strategies for implementing character education. Overall, character education in elementary schools has an important role in shaping individual character and advancing national civilization. Even though there are similarities between Indonesia and Malaysia in the implementation of character education, differences in character values ​​and implementation strategies need to be looked at to understand the local context of each country. This research contributes to a further understanding of character development efforts in the context of basic education.