Shame and Just Passing: A Recipe for Poisoning Education

Shame and “Just Pass”: A Recipe for Poisoning Education

Education is one of the main pillars of national development. In the context of

Indonesia, education is often seen as the gateway to success.

Yet the reality on the ground shows significant obstacles to

achieving ideal education. One phenomenon that is rarely discussed but

has a major impact is the culture of shame and the “just pass” mentality among

students and even among educators.

The culture of shame here is not a healthy sense of shame, such as feeling ashamed when violating

norms. Rather, it is the fear of asking questions, fear of being wrong, or fear of

trying something new. This culture shackles the learning process because students

become passive and avoid interaction. On the other hand, the “just pass” mentality, which is

marked by the desire merely to meet the minimum standard without

caring about the quality of understanding, makes the situation worse. When these two

phenomena combine, they create a poisonous recipe that weakens the

Indonesian education system.

The culture of shame is believed to hinder creativity and participation; in the

context of Indonesian education it has complex roots. Many students feel

ashamed to ask questions because they fear being considered stupid by classmates or even

by the teacher. This is often made worse by an environment that does not support

open discussion. For example, a survey conducted by the Programme for

International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2018 showed that

the level of active participation of Indonesian students in learning is among the

lowest in the world. As a result of this culture of shame, students lose the opportunity

to develop critical thinking skills and creativity. They

tend to accept information passively without daring to question

its validity. In the long term, this produces graduates who are less

competitive in the global market because of limited problem-solving skills and

innovation. On the other hand, the “just pass” mentality seriously sacrifices the quality of students; the

“just pass” mentality is a form of misguided pragmatism in the world of education.

This phenomenon arises from systemic pressure, from students, parents, and

schools alike. Students focus only on final grades or merely on meeting the requirements for

graduation, without understanding the essence of learning itself. According to data from the Central

Statistics Agency (BPS) in 2022, around 80% of Indonesian students feel pressured

to get high grades in order to meet the expectations of their families or society.

This pressure often forces students to take shortcuts, such as cheating

or studying only for exams without understanding the material in depth. Moreover,

since the national examination was abolished, students’ participation in

learning has dropped sharply, and this certainly affects students’ perspective on education. Because

students usually would not struggle or study harder to face

the national examination, which was a graduation requirement, this naturally makes

most students feel they no longer need to study and just laze around because

they think “I’ll pass anyway, even without studying”. The combination of the culture of shame and the

“just pass” mentality creates a stagnant educational environment. Teachers

find it hard to push students to be more active, while students just follow

lessons with minimalist goals. As a result, the education system fails to

produce individuals who are truly competent and ready to face the challenges of the

real world.

Existing Policies: Are They Effective? Various policies have been implemented to

address problems in the Indonesian education system. Programmes such as the

Merdeka Curriculum and approaches based on Higher Order Thinking Skills

(HOTS) are designed to encourage students to think critically and participate actively.

However, their implementation is still far from ideal. For example, an initial evaluation of the

Merdeka Curriculum in 2023 showed that only about 35% of teachers

felt confident enough to apply learning methods that

emphasise discussion and creativity. Most teachers admitted that they struggle to

change the mindset of students who are used to traditional approaches, in which

the teacher is the centre of learning. In addition, competency-based assessment policies

often fail because of a lack of infrastructure support and training for educators. As a result, students remain focused on final grades as the main yardstick,

which reinforces the “just pass” mentality.

To address this problem, a comprehensive and

sustainable approach is needed, such as Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment: Teachers

need to build a classroom culture that supports active participation without fear of

being judged. One way is to apply collaboration-based

learning methods, such as small group discussions or joint projects. In

this way, students feel more comfortable asking questions and expressing their

opinions. Changing the Assessment System: The assessment system must place more

emphasis on process than on results. For example, giving bonus marks

for active participation or creativity can be an incentive for students to be more

willing to engage in learning. Continuous Teacher Training: The government

must provide training focused on developing interactive learning

methods. Well-trained teachers can become effective agents of

change in dismantling the culture of shame and the “just

pass” mentality. Involving Parents in the Education Process: Parents need to be helped to

understand that education is not just about grades, but also about developing

character and skills. Education campaigns for parents can help

reduce excessive pressure on students. Using Technology to

Support Independent Learning: Digital learning platforms such as Ruangguru or

Zenius and many others can be used to encourage students to learn

independently. However, their use must be directed towards supporting

deep understanding, not merely preparing for exams.

The culture of shame and the “just pass” mentality are two poisons that damage the foundation of

Indonesian education. If left unchecked, these phenomena will not only hinder

individual development but also worsen the quality of human resources

nationally. Therefore, concrete steps are needed to dismantle

outdated cultures and replace them with a new paradigm that

better supports creativity, participation, and meaningful learning. Education

is a long-term process that is oriented not only towards results but also towards process. Quoting Imam Shafi’i, “Education is a long-term

investment that gives benefits forever”. It is up to all parties, whether

educators, students, or parents, to work together to create an

environment that encourages the courage to try, to be wrong, and to learn from

mistakes. In this way, future generations will grow into individuals

who are competent, critical, and highly competitive in the global era.