Financial Management among Pre-aqil Baligh Student: An
Integrated Strategy in Entrepreneurial Education with Fitrah-based
Approach
Andryas Dewi Pratiwi
1
, Baedhowi
1
, and Dewi Kusuma Wardani
1
1
Magister of Economic Education Department, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta, Indonesia
Keywords: Financial Literacy, Financial Management, Fitrah-Based Education, Nature-Based School
Abstract: Literacy must be owned by the 21st century generations, especially in digital era. Financial literacy, as one
of six basic literacies, is important to be introduced to children from an early age. One aspect of financial
literacy that must be instilled is independence in managing finances that can be invested through education.
True education is interacting with the nature of children. The best places to interact, care for and grow the
nature of children are family and community. Nature-Based Schools become alternative educational
institutions that synergize the family-based and community-based education. This study aims to describe the
model of developing financial independence by taking the nature of learning. The research conducted at
Sekolah Lanjutan Bengawan Solo (Bengawan Solo Junior High School) used qualitative approach. The
study shows that the development model of financial management independence is part of business
program. This model is carried out by preparing individual weekly proposal. Planning, preparation,
monitoring and evaluation are carried out by parents and facilitators in school. This model aimed to prepare
students for the age of pre-aqil baligh to be able to bear the burden of sharia when baligh arrives, including
independence in the living and the ability of zakat, jihad and other social responsibilities.
1 INTRODUCTION
Changes continue to occur in the community,
including in the people’s way of thinking and acting.
New trends and concepts continue to be developed.
The World Economy Forum in 2015 revealed the
21st century that must be controlled by all
generations. These 21st century skills include basic
literacy, competence, and character. Regarding this,
the Indonesian National Literacy Movement Team
(2017) stated that in order to survive in this era, the
community must work six basic literacy, one of
which is financial literacy. Financial literacy consists
of three complete dimensions, namely financial,
financial and financial behavior (OECD, 2005;
OECD-INFE, 2011; Atkinson and Messy, 2012;
OECD, 2013; OECD, 2014). However, surviving is
not enough. Competitive abilities are needed in
order to win economic matches. In order for these
things to reach, it is hoped that the community can
have a strong character. Financial literacy that can
be used to ensure security, both for individuals,
families, companies and the national economy.
Special emphasis is given to financial literacy by
individuals (Krechovská, 2015).
One effective way to develop financial literacy is
through education. Education is an important part of
every individual's daily life. This greatly affects
people with a variety of social and social over time.
High attention to education needs to be given given
the masivarah that is repeated in life, especially in
today's digital age. Mihalcová, Csikósová, and
Antošová (2014) reveal that the consequences of the
dynamic and dynamic development of society in that
era are better, and develop internally and externally,
it is important to know how these responsibilities
must be addressed for various aspects of life,
including education.
Education is using the nature of children. The
best place to adjust, care for and foster nature is
family and community. Sina (2014) says that
education in the family means individuals learn from
family members. Family is a significant learning
place to develop children's character. In the process
of learning in the family, children introduce various
things that are useful for life in the future in order to
realize prosperity throughout their lives. One of the
Pratiwi, A., Baedhowi, . and Wardani, D.
Financial Management among Pre-aqil Baligh Student: An Integrated Strategy in Entrepreneurial Education with Fitrah-based Approach.
DOI: 10.5220/0009497201450151
In Proceedings of the 1st Unimed International Conference on Economics Education and Social Science (UNICEES 2018), pages 145-151
ISBN: 978-989-758-432-9
Copyright
c
 2020 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
145

intended assets is the success in seeking
independence and financial freedom. In order for
this to be realized, financial education is needed so
that children can manage their own finances.
Dadaro (2011) revealed that it is important to pay
special attention to financial education for children
as a way to develop their financial literacy. In
addition, financial education is also a tool that can
be ended by low levels of financial literacy or also
called illiteration. Financial education is an
individual process to increase their knowledge and
reflection on financial concepts, services and
products.
Financial education is one type of education that
is very important to give to children. This is because
in this digital era there are many things that are
directly related to good deals and transactions that
are carried out in real or bold ways. According to
Mihalcová, Csikósová, and Antošová (2014),
financial education can be done with several
methods, include (a) making financial education an
official curriculum in schools in various levels of
education, (b) education training and seminars for
adults, and (c ) Financial education carried out by
government agencies both on a national and regional
scale that specifically covers financial services.
In accordance with the accuracy of education
which means interaction with the nature of children,
then in his experience with financial education, it
also takes a form of interaction with their nature.
Fitrah is a natural talent possessed by every
individual. Santoso (2015) revealed that they must
develop themselves. With regard to financial
education, the conditions in Figure 1. are as follows:
Figure 1: Results of a survey of youth concerns
about financial management.
Source: Teens and Personal Finance survey: 2011
Junior Achievement, downloaded from www.ja.org
Based on Figure 1. above, adolescents in the survey
want to learn about realities and opportunities in the
global economy, but adults need to provide
guidelines for learning them. The Twelfth Annual
Junior Achievement / The Allstate Foundation
"Teens and Personal Finance" Survey (2011) found
that the current economic conditions make teenagers
care more about the importance of financial
management, especially with regard to the real
money they have. 8 out of 10 teenagers say that they
are motivated to learn about how to manage their
money. The survey results also mentioned that less
than half of those who discussed
about managing money with their families.
Financial education in the family is needed
significantly to prepare children to be smart in
managing their pocket money. This was stated by
Beverly and Clancy (2001) in his research. Not only
that, it is hoped that through financial education
involving the family, children are spared the
wasteful attitude of spending their pocket money and
instill the habit of saving in themselves. Beverly and
Clancy added that in families, children's knowledge
and ability to manage money is often not well
prepared, increasing their chances of growing up
with low financial literacy. There are other
indications related to the lack of discussion about
financial education in families involving children.
Williams (2010) confirmed the findings of
Beverly and Clancy with his research which states
that parents' perception of money is an important
and significant source of children's financial
knowledge. This means that parents are very
important to have knowledge about finance so they
can teach their children to manage personal finances.
Based on the various problems above, various
community-based alternative education and home or
family emerged, one of which was a natural school.
Recognizing various educational problems,
including financial education, natural schools come
with the concept of education that involves families
and communities to be able to empower and develop
the nature of individuals or children involved in the
school. As the name implies, natural schools are
based on nature in facilitating children's learning
activities.
In Indonesia, natural schools have a separate
curriculum that can be integrated in the national
curriculum that is being implemented in national
education. The essence of the natural school
curriculum in the Nusantara Nature School Network
(JSAN) covers 3 major domains, namely leadership,
academics and morals. All three are collaborated
with attention to the talents (fitrah) and skills of
students. In natural schools, educators do not act as
forming students' character, but are facilitators of the
development of children's nature. Based on the
description above, the problems that can be
formulated in this paper are:
How is the model for developing the independence
of natural-based financial management studying at
the Bengawan Solo Junior High School?
In accordance with the above formulation of the
problem, the purpose of this paper is to describe the
development model of financial management
independence by taking into account the nature of
learning for students in natural schools.
UNICEES 2018 - Unimed International Conference on Economics Education and Social Science
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2 RESEARCH METHODS
This research is a field research with a qualitative
approach using a case study design. The subjects of
this study were students of Bengawan Solo Junior
High School at level 1 and 2, and school residents.
Data collection in this study was carried out through
observation, interviews and documentation which
was then combined with literature study. Data in this
research were analyzed by triangulation.
3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Curriculum of Bengawan Solo Junior High
School
Bengawan Solo Junior High School is located in
Panjang, Gondangsari, Juwiring, Klaten, Central
Java. Bengawan Solo Junior High School is member
of Bengawan Solo Natural School The curriculum
carried out in Bengawan Solo Junior High School is
a development of the natural school curriculum in
general.
Figure 2: Core Value in the Bengawan Solo Natural
School
More specifically, Bengawan Solo Junior High
School applied a personal curriculum which was
carried out in a thematic based manner such as the
2013 curriculum for the elementary school level in
Indonesia. The application of this personal
curriculum is based on the following human
development research by Thomas Armstrong in
Figure 3.
This is also in line with what was expressed by
the headmaster of Bengawan Solo Junior High
School: "In this personal curriculum, children
designs what things they wants to learn. Facilitators
plays a role in consultation and giving input. So,
what they learned was written in the Timeline given
by Facilitators. This target timeline is given
monthly.”
Figure 3: Human development research adapted
from The Best Schools (Thomas Armstrong)
Source: Bengawan Solo Junior High School’
Personal Documents
This is also in line with what was expressed by
the headmaster of Bengawan Solo Junior High
School:
"In this personal curriculum, the child designs
what things he wants to learn. Facilitators (the term
for facilitators in natural schools) plays a role in
consultation and giving input. So, what they learned
was written in the Timeline given by Facilitators.
This target timeline is given monthly.
The applied personal curriculum involves parents
in their planning. The assessment approach used is
self-assessment (based on formal and project),
assessment by facilities and peer assessment.
Assessment by the facility is carried out at the end of
each month by using quantitative methods (self-
report which is completed by students) and
collaborated with qualitative methods in the form of
direct screening and sharing with facilities. This is in
accordance with the narrative of the head of the
Bengawan Solo Junior High School, especially
Bengawan Solo Junior High School’ facilitators:
"If we only use the self report, we cannot judge
whether the child really has achieved the target he
planned in his timeline. So there must be follow-up
in the form of sharing and personal interviews with
children. Ideally, each individual is confirmed
through sharing and interviewing for at least one
hour. So it can't be done in one day at the same time.
And indeed there must be separate treatments, not to
be done in school. Just be flexible in place and time.
"
This is in accordance with the narrative of some
students who are evaluated in different places, for
Financial Management among Pre-aqil Baligh Student: An Integrated Strategy in Entrepreneurial Education with Fitrah-based Approach
147

example in food stalls, in classrooms, at home and
others.
Furthermore, Bengawan Solo Junior High
School’s students are children in the pre-aqil baligh
category (before the final aqil baligh). This has
become a special concern in developing the nature
of children which includes the nature of faith, the
nature of learning, and the nature of talent. Based on
his age, the following is a learning strategy carried
out by Bengawan Solo Junior High School that
shown in Figure 4.
Children aged 10-14 enter the pre-aqil baligh
training stage, which is the preparation stage to build
their ability to carry the burden of sharia when
baligh arrives, including independence in the living
and the ability of zakat, jihad and other social
responsibilities. From the age of 10 this talent began
to be recognized and explored and developed as an
effort to achieve the role of civilization (the mission
of civilization). Age 10-12 is a golden age for the
nature of talent. In this age children are trained to be
independent or mature mentally, spiritually,
emotionally and even financially when they reach
the age of 14-15 years. This is done in order to
minimize the gap between baligh (biological adults)
and aqil (mental adults), that after entering high
school age, children should no longer be considered
as children. Over 15 years old children have become
adults who are equal to their parents in sharia and
social. At this age parents and facilitators can act as
partners for them in carrying out their life missions.
Realizing this, according to Figure 4. above,
Bengawan Solo Junior High School develops a
curriculum that includes various activities and
activities that can support and develop student
independence, namely (1) Rich in Worship, (2) Rich
Work, (3) Rich in Benefits, (4) Rich Insights, (5)
Sports, (6) Academics, (7) Internships, and (8)
Business and Finance. Based on the age of
Bengawan Solo SL students entering the pre-aqil
baligh training phase, namely the preparation stage
to build their ability to carry the burden of sharia
when baligh arrives, business and financial programs
are carried out to be able to prepare students'
independence in terms of livelihood and knowledge
about zakat and other social responsibilities.
Figure 4: Development strategy for children aged
pre-aqil baligh II
Source: Bengawan Solo Junior High School’s
document
Children aged 10-14 enter the pre-aqil baligh
training stage, which is the preparation stage to build
their ability to carry the burden of sharia when
baligh arrives, including independence in the living
and the ability of zakat, jihad and other social
responsibilities. From the age of 10 this talent began
to be recognized and explored and developed as an
effort to achieve the role of civilization (the mission
of civilization). Age 10-12 is a golden age for the
nature of talent. In this age children are trained to be
independent or mature mentally, spiritually,
emotionally and even financially when they reach
the age of 14-15 years. This is done in order to
minimize the gap between baligh (biological adults)
and aqil (mental adults), that after entering high
school age, children should no longer be considered
as children. Over 15 years old children have become
adults who are equal to their parents in sharia and
social. At this age parents and facilitators can act as
partners for them in carrying out their life missions.
Realizing this, according to Figure 4. above,
Bengawan Solo Junior High School develops a
curriculum that includes various activities and
activities that can support and develop student
independence, namely (1) Rich in Worship, (2) Rich
Work, (3) Rich in Benefits, (4) Rich Insights, (5)
Sports, (6) Academics, (7) Internships, and (8)
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148

Business and Finance. Based on the age of
Bengawan Solo SL students entering the pre-aqil
baligh training phase, namely the preparation stage
to build their ability to carry the burden of sharia
when baligh arrives, business and financial programs
are carried out to be able to prepare students'
independence in terms of livelihood and knowledge
about zakat and other social responsibilities.
3.2 Business Program
General business programs are carried out in natural
schools in Indonesia. However, each natural school
has its own characteristics. Ar-Ridho Nature-Based
Junior High School, for example, has a business
program in the form of small enterprises in
agriculture and fisheries such as mushroom
cultivation, fish and others. Bengawan Solo Junior
High School conducts business programs as a way to
develop student entrepreneurial competencies
through 2 types of businesses, namely personal and
communal business.
Personal business is carried out by students
according to the nature of their talents. According to
the head of the Bengawan Solo Junior High School,
students develop their businesses according to their
talents, both in the form of talent and field talents.
Talent traits are related to the nature of the child
which encourages him to see a phenomenon such as
personalizing and profiling against other people who
are encountered or invited to interact, while talent in
the field is related to the type of work which the
child tends to like cooking, farming and so on.
Personal business is done not limited to the activities
of processing something and then marketing it, but
also related to how students place themselves as
resources that can make money.
Capital to run personal business was obtained
from private parents, cash from Bengawan Solo
Junior High School and from community. Personal
business capital that comes from external students is
a consequence in the form of sharing the results of
the business that he does. If the capital comes from
parents, the profit sharing is adjusted according to
the agreement of each child with his parents.
However, if the capital comes from cash or
community, students are required to return the
amount of money he borrowed, but it is
recommended to take advantage of the results of the
effort he made with the capital.
Meanwhile, communal business is a business
program managed jointly by Bengawan Solo Junior
High School’s students. The program that has been
running is "Cafe 1720". This is a business in the
form of a cafe that is operated in certain weeks
according to the project planned in the timeline. The
cafe is held a full day which includes preparation
(setting places, menus and so on) before 5.00 p.m.
(17.00 Time of West Indonesia) and the execution at
5.00 p.m. (17.00 Time of West Indonesia) until 8.00
p.m. (20.00 Time of West Indonesia). The capital to
run this communal business is obtained from
community money so that the management of the
results is carried out jointly.
3.3 Financial Reports
To support the running of business programs, both
personal and communal, Bengawan Solo Junior
High School includes business and financial
activities on the student timeline at points (8) (as
described in the previous section). The financial
statements made are students' personal financial
statements for a week. Reporting is done every
Friday.
The process of financial education through
financial statements begins with the preparation of
financial proposals by students submitted to their
parents. Previously, it was easy with parents to agree
on what needs could be financed and subsidized by
parents. If in the proposed poposal there is an
inappropriate budget, then the student will evaluate
and correct it. If the proposal is approved, the
student obtains an allowance according to the
proposed plan and must compile a simple financial
report recorded in each of his books. This is in
accordance with the narrative of the Headmaster of
Bengawan Solo Junior High School:
"The principle is like this with his parents. Most
of them are still subsidized with parents. If we talk
about business it is not possible (it can work well) if
the child has not been able to manage their money.
So, starting the first year yesterday, we request it
with parents (related to this financial report) weekly
proposal. From there, put it in the financial report. "
Money managed by students is standard money
for students' daily needs. This financial management
does not include other consumptive needs such as
credit, quota and so on, or financing of Rich Insight
activities, such as monthly roaming or project back-
packing. This is in accordance with the Headmaster
of Bengawan Solo Junior High School statement:
"For quota and credit, we don't allow parents to
give, so children are trained to make their own
money to pay for this need."
In planned and reported financial management,
students not only include income receipts from
parents and expenditures for consumption only, but
also include revenue posts from other sources, such
as personal business results and debt, as well as
other expenditure items such as giving accounts to
peers .
3.4 Discussion
Understanding the concept of managing finances is
the essence of financial education. Financial
Financial Management among Pre-aqil Baligh Student: An Integrated Strategy in Entrepreneurial Education with Fitrah-based Approach
149

education is a solution to problems caused by low
individual financial literacy. Financial education is
provided so that individuals can manage money
properly on target and prevent the possibility of
future financial difficulties resulting from decision
making errors related to personal finance. Financial
education is very important in order to create
positive habits for children to be smart and wise in
managing money. Not only in terms of managing,
but also how children can generate their own income
beyond what has been given by parents. So it is
important for schools and families to work together
in creating these habits.
The model for developing the independence of
the nature of learning-based financial management
applied by the Bengawan Solo Junior High School
can be an example for similar programs to be
implemented by other schools. The freedom that is
well controlled in Bengawan Solo Junior High
School related to the planning of learning targets,
especially those related to business and financial
programs, can be applied to guarantee and develop
the existence of the nature of student learning. This
is in accordance with Santoso's statement (2015) that
the nature of a child can be damaged or even
destroyed if in the learning process there are some of
the following: 1) educators are too driving the child's
learning process, so that paralyzes children's creative
power; 2) educators overload material; 3) the
textbook used does not contain evocative ideas; 4)
the promotion of competition and fear as learning
motivations that damage students' learning intentions
in accordance with the natural disposition.
The model for developing financial management
independence in Bengawan Solo Junior High School
not only prepares students to manage their finances,
but also prepares students for independence in terms
of earning a living. This is evident from the
integration of personal business programs in weekly
financial records. In addition, habituation through
project-based learning makes students more
persistent to earn their own income to finance
planned roaming and back-packing activities.
This model does not only stop at financial
reporting, but is also used as an assessment material
that the student concerned can truly be considered
independent in obtaining his income. In this model,
if students are considered capable and independent,
facilitator will recommend to parents to stop giving
their children an allowance.
4 CONCLUSION AND
SUGGESTION
The model for developing the independence of
natural-based financial management at the
Bengawan Solo Junior High School through the
creation of weekly financial reports collaborated
with business programs instills positive beliefs,
attitudes and habits in students to be smart and wise
in managing money. This behavior is likely to be
carried away to become an adult (aqil baligh) in
managing the right money such as saving money,
saving, investing and paying zakat and infaq. This
indirectly contributes to the basic dimensions of
financial literacy, namely financial knowledge,
financial attitudes and financial behavior. Financial
literacy is a 21st century life skill that improves the
quality of human resources, enhances living
standards so that it can be used as a determinant of
the progress of a nation. The strategy for improving
financial skills in Bengawan Solo Junior High
School needs to be carried out on an ongoing basis.
The implementation of a good model is still not
supported by other sources of financial literacy.
Need to be provided with material to support
financial literacy that is contextual. Facilitators is
expected to add references and use e-books and
other materials that can be easily accessed online
from various sources such as infographics,
videographies, leaflets, and other technical
guidelines. In addition, the creation of a validated
pocket book or simple digital application also needs
to be done so that students can more freely record
their finances at every place and time.
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