Available online at https://journal.
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php/ijeer/index International Journal of Ethno-Sciences and Education Research e-ISSN 2776-7590 Vol.
No.
2, pp.
51-60, 2026
Students' Environmental Awareness And The Citizenship Course: An Educational Policy Perspective Tatang Sudrajat1*.
Indrawati2 Universitas Sangga Buana.
Bandung.
Indonesia Universitas Langlang Buana.
Bandung.
Indonesia *Corresponding author email: id.
tatangsudrajat@gmail.
Abstract Indonesia currently faces serious environmental damage, which significantly disrupts the sustainability of national development.
Students play a crucial role in environmental conservation efforts by fostering awareness of environmental preservation.
Government policies, such as Decree of the Director General of Higher Education (Kepdirjen Dikt.
Number 84/E/KPT/2020 and several other state and government regulations, constitute public policies in the field of education that can contribute to environmental sustainability.
This study aims to analyze the profile, context, and substance of state and government policies on the Civics course, which are relevant to environmental sustainability efforts from a public policy and education perspective.
The research used normative juridical, qualitative, and literature study methods.
The normative juridical method examined the substance of government regulations, while the qualitative method employed interviews with several lecturers and students as informants.
The literature study examined all relevant sources and documents in various forms.
The results of the study indicate that several state and government regulations constitute policies for the realization of environmental sustainability, including those related to higher education.
The environmental theme integrated into the Citizenship course is very strategic as a preventive measure against environmental damage.
Government officials at the Ministry of Environment, law enforcement officers, officials from the Ministry of Higher Education.
Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisainte.
, university leaders, lecturers teaching Citizenship courses, environmental figures and activists, students, and other educational stakeholders are policy actors.
The threat of increasingly severe environmental damage and the need for students to understand it are policy issues.
The Ministry of Environment, the Indonesian National Police.
Kemendiktisaintek, universities, and various institutions outside the government are policy institutions.
The public's expectation of students who are aware of and responsible for environmental sustainability is a policy issue.
Several policy elements need to be refined.
Keywords: Education policy, student awareness, citizenship, environment Introduction Currently, the Indonesian nation faces several very serious problems, including worsening environmental damage.
This occurs not only on land but also in waters and oceans, with a significant impact on various aspects of community Landslides, flash floods, seas of garbage, rivers that have been turned into septic tanks, forest and land fires, and neglected former mining areas are some of the problems that have significantly impacted the lives of some citizens.
daily life, through media coverage, various forms of behavior by some citizens who are completely indifferent to environmental sustainability are still clearly visible.
Even more concerning is the fact that these various forms of behavior collude with government officials who abuse their power.
This situation is a very serious issue, and should not be addressed with careless attitudes, decisions, or behavior, as it has become a matter of public interest.
This reckless behavior in treating the natural environment is a clear betrayal of the values of patriotism and evidence of irresponsible citizen behavior as mandated by the constitution.
This deliberate behavior of environmental destruction, especially those motivated by economic factors, is now like a mental virus that has infected a significant portion of society.
The perpetrators of this destruction are a small minority of citizens from the lower social strata, generally motivated only by fulfilling basic needs.
What is truly shameful is the fact that the majority of perpetrators of environmental destruction are from the upper-middle class.
Their motives are selfishness and greed for wealth and luxury, which in today's digital age often manifests through displays of arrogance, vanity, and luxury on various social media platforms.
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Therefore, one of the stakeholders related to environmental issues is higher education, which, through its instrumental role, can contribute to saving the environment from further damage.
As institutions providing higher education, they play a strategic role in internalizing environmental awareness through the learning process.
This strongly aligns with one of the functions of higher education, as stipulated in Article 4 of Law Number 12 of 2012, namely, developing capabilities and shaping the character and civilization of a dignified nation in order to advance the nation's intellectual Furthermore, this strategic role is also related to one of the goals of higher education, as stated in Article 5:
developing students' potential to become individuals who believe in and fear God Almighty and possess noble character, are healthy, knowledgeable, capable, creative, independent, skilled, competent, and cultured for the benefit of the nation.
To that end, the government issued Decree of the Director General of Higher Education (Kepdirjen Dikt.
Number 84/KPT/E/2020 concerning Guidelines for the Implementation of Compulsory Courses in the Higher Education Curriculum, with the acronym MKWK, one of which is the Citizenship course.
The issuance of this Kepdirjen Dikti clearly demonstrates the underlying sociological public interest, demonstrating public officials' responsiveness to environmental degradation as a problem that threatens the survival of the nation and state.
They do this because they have the authority, as mandated by the constitution and laws, to provide solutions to problems faced by the public, thus their decisions and actions can be considered public policy.
According to Post et al.
, public policy is a plan of action undertaken by government officials to achieve some broad purpose affecting a substantial segment of a nation's citizens .
In this context, the policy of fostering environmental awareness in students through the Citizenship course has philosophical, educational, political, and operational relevance.
Therefore, it is interesting to examine various aspects related to the problem of environmental damage and the need for student understanding and awareness, embedded in Civics courses at universities.
This study aims to analyze the substance of educational policies regarding the importance of environmental awareness for students through Civics courses from the perspective of public policy and educational policy.
Methods This research uses normative juridical, qualitative, and literature review methods.
The normative juridical method focuses on all state and government regulations directly or indirectly related to the importance of environmental awareness education through Civics courses, which are compulsory courses at universities.
The government regulations that are the focus of the researcher's study are Director General of Higher Education Decree No.
84/E/KPT/2020, as well as several state and government regulations directly related to education, higher education, and the environment.
These regulations include Law Number 20 of 2003 concerning the National Education System.
Law Number 14 of 2005 concerning Teachers and Lecturers.
Law Number 12 of 2012 concerning Higher Education.
Law Number 32 of 2009 concerning Environmental Protection and Management.
Government Regulation Number 4 of 2014 concerning the Implementation of Higher Education and Management of Higher Education Institutions, and Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Number 3 of 2020 concerning National Standards for Higher Education.
Qualitative methods were employed using in-depth interviews with several lecturers and students from four universities in Bandung and Cimahi.
West Java Province: Sangga Buana University.
Pasundan University.
Widyatama University, and Jenderal Achmad Yani University.
A literature review was conducted by collecting, classifying, and analyzing all documents in various formats, including books, journals, reports, papers, website news, and other information sources relevant to the research objectives.
Results and Discussion Profile.
Hierarchy, and Policy Context The discussion on the importance of fostering student awareness to participate in environmental protection through Civics courses, as a mandatory subject included in the higher education curriculum, is inseparable from state and government regulations.
This is determined by public officials who have inherent authority to respond to various impacts of societal problems, including intolerant attitudes and behaviors of some citizens.
Because the decisions and actions they take contain the public interest, they can be called public policy, with the substantive area being education, and therefore can also be called educational policy.
Gerston defines public policy as the combination of basic decisions, commitments, and actions made by those who hold or influence government positions of authority .
Another expert.
Carter V.
Good, states that educational policy is a judgment, derived from some systems of values and some assessment of situational factors, operating within institutionalized education as a general plan for guiding decisions regarding the means of attaining desired educational objectives (Imron, 1993:.
This includes all laws and regulations concerning or related to students' role in preserving the environment through Civics courses.
Within the educational policy framework regarding the importance of environmental awareness through Civics courses, and adopting Bromley's .
opinion regarding the policy hierarchy.
Law Number 20 of 2003.
Law Number 32 of 2009, and Law Number 12 of 2012, along with several other relevant laws, are at the policy level.
At the organizational level, there are Government Regulation Number 4 of 2014 and Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Number 3 of 2020.
Director General of Higher Education Decree Number 84/E/KPT/2020 and several technical instructions in various circulars are at the operational level.
The existence of various hierarchical state or Sudrajat, et al.
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government regulations regarding the importance of fostering student awareness and responsibility for preserving the environment aligns with Gerston's .
discussion on levels of government.
The context and relevance of Law Number 20 of 2003 regarding environmental awareness education is that Article 37 Paragraph .
stipulates that Civics Education must be included in the higher education curriculum.
For the first time, a state policy regulating teachers and lecturers in the form of a single law was Law Number 14 of 2005, which was enacted on December 30, 2005, and consists of 84 articles.
Its context and relevance to environmental awareness education include the regulation of the position and main duties of lecturers as stipulated in Article 1 number 2.
Furthermore, regarding lecturer competency, which according to Article 1 number 10 is a set of knowledge, skills, and behaviors that must be possessed, internalized, and mastered by teachers or lecturers in carrying out professional duties.
This affirmation is very important, because lecturers are both professionals and policy actors whose competencies are inherently tasked with the duty, authority, and obligation to foster environmental awareness in students.
The first state policy specifically regulating higher education in the form of a law was Law Number 12 of 2012, enacted on August 10, 2012, and comprising 100 articles.
Its context and relevance to education is the importance of providing environmental awareness to students, as stipulated in Article 35 Paragraph .
regarding the existence of Citizenship courses as a mandatory subject in the higher education curriculum.
Furthermore, it relates to regulations regarding learning in Article 1 Number 12, regarding the academic community in Article 1 Number 13, and regarding lecturers in Article 1 Number 14.
Lecturers, as educators and scientists who teach Citizenship courses, are an integral part of the academic community for effective learning about student awareness and responsibility for environmental As mandated by several articles in Law Number 12 of 2012, government regulations were issued in the form of Government Regulation Number 4 of 2014, enacted on January 30, 2014, consisting of 37 articles.
This government regulation also declares Government Regulation Number 17 of 2010 concerning the Management and Implementation of Education no longer valid.
The context and relevance of this government regulation to education, including the importance of environmental awareness, relate to regulations regarding learning.
In accordance with Article 1.
Number 14, learning is the process of interaction between students, lecturers, and learning resources in a learning environment.
Instilling awareness in students regarding environmental awareness is crucial.
The environment's role in preserving its sustainability will be supported by a learning process that involves social relations between lecturers and students that are dialogical, interactive, and contextual.
Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Number 3 of 2020, enacted on January 24, 2020, consists of 70 articles and declares that Minister of Research.
Technology, and Higher Education Regulation Number 44 of 2014 is no longer Several educational policies underlying it include Law Number 12 of 2012 and Government Regulation Number 4 of 2014.
The context and relevance to environmental awareness education include the characteristics of the learning process as part of the learning process standards as stipulated in Article 10.
These characteristics include interactive, holistic, integrative, scientific, contextual, thematic, effective, collaborative, and student-centered.
Lecturers who consistently adhere to these learning characteristics, including interactive and student-centeredness, will contribute significantly to achieving the goal of fostering student awareness and responsibility for preserving the environment.
The stipulation of the Director General of Higher Education Decree Number 84/E/KPT/2020 as a form of operational technical policy on October 19, 2020, consists of nine dictums of decisions, whose legal references include Law Number 12 of 2012.
Government Regulation Number 4 of 2014, and Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Number 3 The context and relevance to education of the importance of environmental awareness is that Citizenship is one of the four MKWK of higher education as stated in the second dictum of the decree.
In addition, the theme of environmental awareness can be linked to three themes which are discussions that can be explored and inserted in an actual and contextual manner, namely local wisdom, love of the homeland and defending the country.
These three themes can be selected for the development of study substance, as stated in the Attachment to the Director General of Higher Education Decree Number II, in addition to the themes of drugs, moral decadence, disaster response, corruption, radicalism, and tax awareness.
The explicit affirmation of several legal references in every state or government regulation, from a public policy perspective, relates to its legality and legitimacy as a political and administrative product.
In this context.
Anderson argues that in its positive forms, public policy is based on law .
Similarly.
Dye states that one implication of the institutional approach or model in public policy studies is legitimacy .
Policy without law has no power to The legitimacy of law is critical in modern democracy.
This is called public accountability, which means a formal agreement written for the public shall be accountable to the public (Nugroho, 2012:.
The government's decision regarding the importance of student awareness in preserving the environment in the form of legislation empowers policy stakeholders, particularly policy implementers, namely university leaders and lecturers teaching Civics courses.
This Director General of Higher Education Decree, as a policy product made by a government administrative official, contains substantial problems.
This is evident in the dictum of the decision, which does not mention its relationship to previous government regulations on general courses that were in effect.
This is because, in the previous period.
Director General of Higher Education Decree No.
43/DIKTI/Kep/2006 concerning Guidelines for the Implementation of Personality Development Course Groups in Higher Education was in effect.
Article 3 states that Citizenship is one of the courses included in the personality development course.
The Director General of Higher Education Decree No.
84/E/KPT/2020 should have confirmed the validity of the regulation on the same substance that was in effect in the Sudrajat, et al.
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previous period.
This is crucial from a public policy perspective, as it relates to clarifying its status as an operational policy product that is still in effect, or has been amended or even replaced.
Substance of Environmental Awareness Policy A crucial aspect of Director General of Higher Education Decree No.
84/E/KPT/2020, as stated in the third dictum, is the affirmation that there are four MKWK (Competency Standard.
for higher education, one of which is the Citizenship course.
Another aspect related to environmental awareness education that needs to be continuously promoted is the affirmation stated in the third dictum that the function of the MKWK is to shape the character and civility of dignified students.
This is crucial and relevant to environmental awareness education, because Indonesians with character and civility will certainly not act arbitrarily and abuse their power to damage the environment.
The learning that takes place through the Civics course is believed to be an effective deterrent and prevent individuals from engaging in environmentally damaging actions in the future.
Likewise, the existence and role of student organizations are crucial in fostering this love for the environment.
According to Assa, these student organizations serve as a means for students to channel their interests and talents, develop positive attitudes, and participate in environmental conservation efforts .
2:1.
Of the seven substantive elements of the Civics course, as listed in the Attachment to the Director General of Higher Education Decree Number 84/E/KPT/2020 Number II letter b, there is one substance related to educating the importance of awareness and responsibility for protecting the environment.
The current facts are still very clear and blatant, showing that many arbitrary and arbitrary behaviors in managing nature persist.
If this continues, it will be highly detrimental to various aspects of national and state life.
Currently, environmental damage in its various forms has reached an alarming What is even more concerning is the fact that some citizens are indifferent to this development.
This greed in the management of natural resources manifests as a manifestation of human indifference and irresponsibility for the future of the nation.
In the current era of democracy and digital governance, various forms of behavior that are highly damaging to the environment are easily recognized by the public, thereby influencing the attitudes and behavior of other citizens.
As a serious problem that must be addressed seriously, this environmental damage must be addressed with preventative and repressive measures, systematically and structured, involving various components of the nation.
Higher education, as institutions that safeguard, defend, and develop values of truth, is required to be proactive in addressing this issue, which is highly detrimental to the nation's interests.
This aligns with the mandate of Article 3 of Law Number 12 of 2012, which stipulates that higher education must be based on, among other things, scientific truth, honesty, virtue, and responsibility.
In this regard, education on awareness and responsibility for environmental sustainability through Civics courses is an appropriate place to be realized, developed, and maintained.
Egotistical individuals who exploit the environment for business and political power are a betrayal of the sociological fact that Indonesian ancestors in various regions, with their local wisdom, have been able to preserve the environment.
The behavior of this handful of individuals is a clear example of Indonesians who are immoral and unethical.
In this regard, it is crucial and relevant to discuss the obligations and rights of citizens as one of the seven topics covered in the Citizenship course, as outlined in the Appendix to the Director General of Higher Education Decree No.
84/E/KPT/2020.
Messages of ethics and moral responsibility can be internalized in this course, through engaging learning techniques that engage students, thereby significantly contributing to Indonesia's desired future, one whose citizens deeply care for and love the environment.
This Indonesian people will do whatever it takes to preserve the environment as a form of their civic responsibility.
In this regard, there is no other strategic step to save this country from the threat of environmental damage, especially for the future, except to integrate environmental awareness education into the Citizenship course.
This becomes even more important and serious given the known facts that those who engage in corrupt acts, including environmental destruction, under the guise of business interests, are generally highly educated individuals.
In other words, the environmental theme, as outlined in the Attachment to the Director General of Higher Education Decree No.
84/E/DIKTI/2020, is highly relevant for the Citizenship lecturers to incorporate into their lessons, thus becoming an integral part of the overall MKWK course.
The discussion on the importance of student environmental awareness also relates to the theme of patriotism and national defense, which demands the continued existence of Indonesia amidst a global physical environment that is often subject to extreme change.
Indonesians who are aware of, care about, and share responsibility for preserving and conserving the environment are indicators of their love for their homeland.
This is important to emphasize, because the homeland where Indonesians are born, live, and develop into human beings with the role of caliphs on earth will remain pristine when they commit to concrete behaviors that care for the future of the environment.
Consistent lifestyle habits and a culture that preserves the natural environment constitute strong social capital for Indonesia's sustainability as a nation that is geographically among the five largest in the world.
The struggles of various components of the nation, including university circles and the younger generation in general, in opposing the New Order regime in 1998 were inseparable from their unity in opposing semi-dictatorial power and the practice of collusion and corruption, including in environmental management.
At that time, centralized and hegemonic political power had given enormous space to large investors to invest and manage natural resources.
Some of these business practices conspired with officials who had authority in the licensing and business fields broadly, resulting in almost uncontrolled business power.
This phenomenon continues to this day, with the emergence of Sudrajat, et al.
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oligarchies that give rise to a strong impression of a state within a state.
The fact of the sea fence in the waters of Tangerang.
Banten Province is an undeniable fact of this.
In relation to current educational needs, education on awareness and responsibility for environmental sustainability integrated into Civics courses must be a focus for Various cases of environmental damage, particularly those motivated by business and investment, are essentially environmental crimes that are highly detrimental to national life.
In this context, law enforcement that supports environmental sustainability policies by combating various forms of environmental crime is crucial.
Consistency in law enforcement, which requires the involvement of various components of the nation, including universities, must always be kept in mind within the framework of a modern constitutional state.
Sociologically, according to Talcott Parsons, this law enforcement function is a manifestation of the integration function (Narwoko and Suyanto, 2.
This function, like other functions, relates to a specific institutional sector of society, which is implemented by the legal subsystem by maintaining procedures and integration between components with differing opinions, perspectives, and moral frameworks to foster social solidarity (Keller, 1995:.
In the study of Citizenship, this concept also gains relevance when discussing Indonesia as a constitutional state as an integral part of the state's governance system.
More specifically, the discussion concerns the supremacy of law as a characteristic of a state governed by the rule of law, in enforcing environmental regulations.
In this context, efforts to foster moral literacy, including environmental awareness education integrated into Citizenship courses, are crucial.
The additional environmental knowledge embedded in these courses will strengthen the campus's intellectual capacity as a scientific community.
Students, with their various physical and psychological strengths, will have an excellent opportunity to demonstrate their devotion to the nation and state.
Interactive, contextual, and dialogical learning, combined with an integral and comprehensive approach, will enable students to map the environmental degradation issues surrounding them.
This serves as an investment for the future, enabling them to make a more concrete contribution to the fight against the dangers of environmental degradation to national life.
The history of the Indonesian nation has demonstrated the crucial role of students as a strategic element of the younger generation in various crucial episodes that have revolutionized the governance of the nation.
Students, possessing various strengths, both intellectually, socially, and economically, are required to participate in thinking about and doing their best to provide solutions to environmental degradation issues.
In this regard.
Article 5 of Law Number 40 of 2009 concerning Youth states that youth possess several characteristics, namely a fighting spirit, volunteerism, responsibility, and chivalry, as well as a critical, idealistic, innovative, progressive, dynamic, reformist, and futuristic nature.
These characteristics will undoubtedly make students an integral part of youth, a strategic element of stakeholders in the important policy of environmental awareness education.
In a sociological context, the existence and crucial role of education regarding environmental awareness and responsibility can be positioned within the framework of social system functions, as proposed by Talcott Parsons, known as the latent pattern maintenance function, which maintains and/or upholds societal patterns and structures (Narwoko and Suyanto, 2.
According to Parsons, as quoted by Keller .
, this function relates to specific institutional sectors within society, including the cultural subsystem, which is concerned with maintaining prevailing cultural values and norms within society for the purpose of preserving societal structures and enabling participation in social life, for example, through the role of educational institutions.
As a social institution, education according to Harris Jr.
, represents a behavioral pattern through which knowledge, skills, and concepts are transmitted to individuals through teaching mechanisms .
uman or otherwis.
As a social institution, education aids in systematically transmitting a cultural heritage from one generation to another and imparting social and moral values .
The commitment to integrating environmental awareness education into Civics courses must be implemented seriously and with careful planning.
Lecturers teaching this course, when incorporating environmental issues into their course material, for example through group discussions, must prepare thoroughly.
Lecturers must always position themselves as learners, fully understanding that they are dealing with highly technologically literate, critical, and rational students.
In this regard, lecturers need to continuously hone their innovation and creativity to align with the needs for successful implementation of environmental awareness policies.
Lecturers, as policy actors, are required to consistently demonstrate their enthusiasm for improving their competencies by presenting learning methods and approaches that align with the characteristics of today's millennial generation.
Relationships Between Actors.
Institutions, and the Policy Environment Discussion of the importance of educational policy and the importance of student awareness and responsibility for environmental sustainability through Civics courses is an integral part of the crucial position and role of higher education and universities within the national education system.
On the other hand, because environmental damage is an inseparable part of national problems and public interests, regulations on environmental awareness education are essentially a concrete manifestation of public policy, the substantive area of which is education.
The importance of education, with its various problems, is a fact in many countries, as citizens perceive it as a problem they cannot solve In this regard.
Parsons stated that education is a key area of public policy .
Another public policy expert.
Dunn, argues that education is a public policy issue area .
In this regard, universities, as stipulated in Article 1, point 6 of Law Number 12 of 2012, are educational institutions that provide higher education, playing a crucial role.
Because education about environmental awareness and Sudrajat, et al.
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responsibility is essentially character education, this is relevant to one of the functions of higher education, as stated in Article 4: to develop capabilities and shape the character and civilization of a dignified nation in order to educate the From a public policy perspective, this university can be called a policy institution, as Howlett and M.
Ramesh define institutions as the structures and organization of the state, society, and the international system .
Citizens who damage the environment and arbitrarily exploit natural resources solely for personal and group interests are examples of people lacking noble character, reflecting arrogance, selfishness, self-interest, and disregard for the interests of society.
Therefore, there is a strong connection between education on environmental awareness and responsibility and one of the goals of education, as stated in Article 5, letter a, of Law Number 12 of 2012.
This goal is to develop students' potential to become individuals who believe in and fear God Almighty and possess noble character, who are healthy, knowledgeable, capable, creative, independent, skilled, competent, and cultured for the benefit of the In addition, because in its historical and institutional role, higher education is also required to voice truth, ethics and morality, then environmental education is clearly closely related to the function and role of higher education.
This is stated in Article 58 Paragraph .
letter d, namely as a center for the study of virtue and moral strength to seek and discover the truth.
It is in this place that various kinds of debates of ideas and arguments from lecturers and students find their place to find the best way to overcome the dangers of environmental damage that have a negative impact on the welfare of the nation.
The educational process is crucial, particularly one that relies on internalizing values and the importance of attitudes and behaviors that respect the interests of others.
This includes respecting the community's right to enjoy a comfortable living environment, as a preventative measure that can foster an environmentally conscious culture.
The use of StudentCentered Learning methods, with a variety of learning techniques, is a systematic step to build environmental awareness and instill values that shape student integrity.
This will foster a love and sense of ownership for the surrounding This in turn will foster a sense of responsibility to do even the smallest things to contribute to maintaining environmental balance.
This student-centered learning, with its harmonious and balanced attention to the environment, is one of the principles of higher education, as stipulated in Article 6, letter f, of Law Number 12 of 2012.
The importance of environmental awareness and responsibility is increasingly relevant because some people consider the environment and natural resources of this country to be a legacy from their ancestors.
However, the truth is that these abundant natural resources are entrusted to us by our children and grandchildren as citizens.
As a trust, they must be properly safeguarded, including through responsible environmental management.
When these various environmental crimes continue to run rampant, coupled with a permissive societal attitude, this has the potential to lead to national In Rofaniyati's view, students' contributions to the environment are not only a moral responsibility but also an investment in the future of the earth.
Their awareness, concrete actions, and innovation have great potential to become agents of change for environmental preservation .
In this context, the presence of Citizenship courses, which include discussions of environmental awareness and responsibility, is crucial.
This aligns with what Sari et al.
as ecological citizenship, namely the conception of the relationship between humans and the environment, which includes elements of awareness and concern in the form of environmentally-based habits and activities .
Now is the time for a moral declaration of war against the threats and dangers of environmental damage to be proclaimed by campuses simultaneously so that it resonates throughout the nation.
Every campus community, especially lecturers and students, must not remain silent in the face of this real threat that could negatively impact the survival of this nation.
Lecturers teaching Citizenship courses face a challenge: to be creative and innovative in designing the learning process to align with students' interests and needs.
The student-centered learning method offers a variety of learning techniques that can be tailored to be engaging and contextual.
Lecturers must quickly adapt to the paradigm of transformation in higher education, which is a demand of the times.
Duderstadt cites several significant transformations:
from teaching to learning organizations, from passive students to active learners, and from solitary learning to interactive, collaborative learning .
The emergence of a culture of environmental stewardship in everyday life is not something that emerges suddenly, but rather through a long process that requires commitment from all parties, especially university leaders as those in This habitual lifestyle and culture of environmental awareness will ultimately stem from the high public expectation that a solution will be found to the widespread environmental attitudes and behaviors that persist in various Inculcating a love for the environment in society, starting with the simplest forms, must be implemented.
There is concern among some members of the public about this highly detrimental social phenomenon, particularly among university students.
In the future, this could be dangerous if some members of the public perceive this greedy and abusive behavior toward the environment as a cultural norm.
This could also reflect public pessimism about efforts to combat environmental crimes that have infected various elements of society.
This, from a public policy perspective, can be referred to as the policy environment.
Dunn, a public policy expert, defines this policy environment as the specific context in which events surrounding a policy issue occur, influence, and are in turn influenced by policy stakeholders and public policies .
Another expert.
Anderson, states that demands for policy actions are generated in the environment and transmitted to the political system.
At the same time, the environment places limits and constraints on what policymakers can do .
Given this policy environment, which continually voices public expectations, members of the intellectual community on campus, particularly lecturers as scientists and educators, must feel called to stand at the forefront of the nation's fight against the evils of environmental destruction.
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The relevance between the issue of environmental damage and lecturers as actors in educational policy is very strong.
Lecturers, according to Article 1, number 2 of Law Number 14 of 2005, are professional educators and scientists with the primary task of transforming, developing, and disseminating science, technology, and the arts through education, research, and community service.
Similarly.
Article 1, point 14 of Law Number 12 of 2012 states that within campuses, as scientific communities and in higher education institutions, lecturers and students constitute the academic According to Article 1, point 13, this academic community is comprised of lecturers and students.
As policy actors, their involvement can be a driving force for the growth of a mass movement against environmental crimes, which are a real threat that could destroy the nation's future and interests.
The importance of environmentally conscious attitudes and behavior aligns with the statement by Ali et al.
that environmental education is not intended to employ students on campus, but rather to foster a love of the environment, thus becoming a habit .
In the context of educational policy regarding environmental awareness and responsibility, lecturers are both policy actors and policy implementers.
According to Gerston, these policy actors present, interpret, and respond to those issues .
These issues will become the initial embryo for the emergence of public problems, and if they receive adequate attention, they will enter the policy agenda.
An issue does not automatically make it onto the policy agenda, as policy issues encompass broad dimensions (Winarno, 2012:.
Howlett and M.
Ramesh state that policies are made by policy subsystems consisting of actors dealing with a public problem.
The term "actor" includes both state and societal actors, some of whom are intimately involved in the policy process, while others are only marginally involved .
The fact that environmental damage, in its various forms across various regions, is a policy issue that requires immediate, concrete solutions from all parties who still care about the interests of the nation's future, including universities.
Along with other parties, both within and outside universities, lecturers are part of what Dunn calls policy In addition to lecturers, these policy stakeholders include students, university leaders, educational staff, education observers, officials from the Ministry of Education.
Culture.
Research, and Technology, officials from the Ministry of Environment, leaders from other ministries related to education, environmental activists, members of the House of Representatives, the President, and other parties interested in environmental education.
In the perspective of public policy studies, all state and government regulations on environmental education as an integral part of the Citizenship course which is a public policy in the field of education, together with policy stakeholders and policy environment are three elements that are a unity and are reciprocally related, which Dunn calls The Policy System.
This public policy expert defines the policy system as the overall institutional pattern within which policies are made, involving interrelationship among three elements: public policies, policy stakeholders, and policy environments .
This reciprocal relationship is evident in the fact that all state and government regulations regarding the importance of environmental education integrated into Civics courses are the product of political and administrative decisions by public officials, who are part of the policy stakeholders.
In other words, all educational policies regarding environmental awareness are issued due to the political will and administrative authority of these public officials, who, within the context of the political system, are situated within the political superstructure.
Similarly, there are roles and interests of other actors who are also part of the policy stakeholders, who within the context of the political system are situated within the political infrastructure.
These include education activists, education observers, lecturers, environmental researchers, community activists, environmental activists, and others.
Regarding the actors and institutions responsible for this important environmental awareness policy, the Ministry of Environment plays a crucial and decisive role.
Therefore, there is an opportunity for university leaders to collaborate with this ministry to strengthen student awareness of environmental preservation through various campus activities.
In accordance with the public policy cycle, various state and government regulations concerning the importance of environmental awareness education, particularly Director General of Higher Education Decree No.
84/E/KPT/2020,
when implemented in higher education institutions, will undoubtedly elicit support and input for improvements, both regarding the substance of the policy and the dynamics of its implementation.
Based on this, efforts may be made to improve both regulations, both in their formal and substantive aspects.
It is during this phase that policy stakeholders within the political superstructure exercise their authority, resulting in the establishment of new policies regarding environmental awareness and responsibility education.
This all exemplifies the reciprocal relationship between policy stakeholders and public policy.
The hope for the success of environmental awareness education will be influenced by various factors, including university leadership.
They are required to demonstrate concern, sincerity, and commitment in implementing the substance of Director General of Higher Education Decree No.
84/E/KPT/2020, as this will significantly determine the success of this policy, which will ultimately shape the future of this nation.
For example, their commitment to the provision in Number IV, letter a, of the Attachment to the Decree of the Director General of Higher Education, requires that lecturers in Civics courses receive special training, in addition to having a minimum academic qualification of a master's degree in Pancasila and Civics Education, national resilience, social sciences, cultural studies, philosophy, and This raises questions about the extent of the commitment, in the form of financial support and other resources, provided by universities to enable their lecturers to participate in this special training.
Therefore, the seriousness of university leaders, including private universities, in organizing this MKWK, particularly for Civics courses, is crucial.
Today's national conditions require universities to pay greater attention to environmental degradation as a national issue that could undermine Indonesia's future.
Among university leaders, especially private universities, there needs to be a strong understanding that education on the importance of Sudrajat, et al.
/ International Journal of Ethno-Sciences and Education Research.
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No.
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environmental awareness, which can be integrated into Civics courses, is the right step, as a manifestation of their dedication to the welfare of the nation and state.
This is important to emphasize, because, as Cahyana stated, environmental education requires a long time to shape human behavior as environmentalists, people who care about development that is friendly to the environment .
This relates to civic responsibility, as mentioned by Halimah and Siti Fauziah Nurul, as crucial for shaping the mindset and behavior of the community to care for and have environmental insight as the key to controlling environmental damage .
In current educational practices, universities should avoid attitudes and behaviors of university leaders and other parties that view MKWK as merely a secondary or supplementary subject.
The commitment of university leaders is crucial to supporting the state's mandate through two laws in the form of Citizenship courses.
The full support, consistency, and commitment demonstrated by university leaders will make these institutions, where educated citizens are born, into a crucible that forges the younger generation into citizens who are anti-, and even anti-, all forms of environmental damage.
This is crucial to emphasize, because, as Pratiwi et al.
point out, students are a component of society that must be involved in environmental protection and preservation efforts, so that their quality of life and sustainability can be maintained .
Furthermore, it is hoped that students will become citizens with proactive attitudes and behaviors, demonstrating concrete steps as a movement to spread love and responsibility for environmental In other words, the academic community of a university will be a model of Indonesia's future as a nation free from various forms of natural disasters due to the arbitrary management of natural resources.
For example, collaboration between lecturers and students, including those engaged in community service as a realization of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education, will contribute to the intensification of national programs to protect the environment.
From a public policy perspective, lecturers and students are included in the policy system, which Dunn calls policy stakeholders .
and are policy actors within society (Howlett and Ramesh, 1995:11.
Gerston, 2010:.
They play a crucial role in continuously emphasizing the importance of patriotism, national defense, and environmental stewardship through various activities on and off campus.
As educated individuals, students in this course have gained knowledge and understanding of environmental damage resulting from the selfishness and arbitrary exploitation of the natural environment by some, which is extremely dangerous for the survival of the nation.
As members of a scientific community, they will be at the forefront of social change that will open a new chapter in the fight against environmental criminals.
As citizens with the ability to reason, students are required to distinguish between actions that support environmental sustainability and those that could destroy the future and interests of the nation and its environment.
According to Geo, students have the capacity to contribute significantly to environmental conservation efforts, including through environmental education and awareness, advocacy, and political influence .
This nation will be marked by a history of significant change when students, as actors in educational policy, contribute to every effort to prevent environmental damage and their responsibility to contribute to environmental preservation, which is essential for the nation's survival.
Conclussion Environmental damage is currently a very serious problem for the sustainability of development and various aspects of national life.
This poses a threat to the nation's present and future, necessitating citizen awareness and participation in preserving its sustainability.
Students, as an integral part of the nation's citizens, have a responsibility to contribute to environmental sustainability, including through Citizenship courses.
The issuance of Director General of Higher Education Decree No.
84/E/KPT/2020, along with various other state and government regulations, constitutes a crucial public and educational policy for protecting the environment from the threat of further damage.
The integration of environmental awareness education into Civics courses is one preventative measure in addressing the threat of environmental damage.
State and government policies regarding environmental awareness and Civics courses must be supported by all groups, particularly university leaders.
Integrating these policies into Civics courses requires lecturers to be increasingly innovative and creative in achieving the objectives of educational policy.
Several sections of the Director General of Higher Education Decree require refinement to effectively achieve the goals of environmental awareness education.
References