The Role of Community Learning Center to Promote ESD
Sodikin Sodikin
1
, Yanti Shantini
2
and Takahashi Mitsuru
1
1
Adult and Continuing Education Departement, Tohoku University
2
Community Education Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Keywords: CLC, Privatization, Sustainable Development, Kominkan.
Abstract: Community Learning Center (CLC) has a strategic role in making changes in community behavior in support
of sustainable development in all countries. The development of CLC is strongly influenced by various factors
affected by the growth of the country both economically, politically and socially. This article discuss about
the development of CLC in Japan and Indonesia with their unique characteristic. The result shows that in
Japan the features of kominkan after social education policy reform, especially in terms of changes in
administrative system, privatization process and community participation. It related to term of kominkan in
promoting education for sustainable development that corresponding in community change. The development
of CLC in Indonesia known as PKBM is organized for people who cannot access formal education as
alternative education services. The sustainability of the program based upon the willingness of the manager
of institution in develop education services, which still depend on government funding but some of CLC
willing to develop their own program based on community need.
1 INTRODUCTION
The awareness of implementing sustainable
development is a form of connection and concern
about the carrying capacity of the natural system with
the social challenges facing mankind in general. The
involvement of the ESD (Education for Sustainable
Development) by providing awareness and ability to
all people, especially future generations to contribute
better for future. Research shows that global system
motivate people to improve their ability by adapting
knowledge and skills through education. The
transforming of society, focused on the phenomenon
of information and communication technologies that
showed its role and importance as a factor of social
development. (Kornienko, 2015)
According to (UNESCO, 2014) ESD is a holistic
and transformational education in dealing with the
content and output of learning, pedagogy and living
environment in achieving social transformation. ESD
is recognized as part of three global seminars: UN
Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992; World Summit
on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in
Johannesburg, South Africa 2002; and UN
Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD)
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2012. ESD is also known
as the key to the Paris deal.
A Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development (2005-2014) aims to integrate the
principles and practices of sustainable development
into all aspects of education and learning. ESD also
aims to encourage the change of knowledge, values
and attitudes with a vision to enable a more
sustainable and equitable society for all. In practice,
ESD is under the GAP (Global Action Program). The
GAP is supported by UNESCO's 37th General
Conference, recognized by UN General Assembly
Resolution and inaugurated on November 12, 2014 at
Aichi-Nagoya, Japan's agenda with the goal of
confirming ESD. This GAP on ESD contributes
substantially on the agenda of SDGs. According to
UNESCO (2014) there are two objectives of GAP
that a) reinforce education and learning for future
sustainability, b) strengthening education and
learning in all agendas, programs, and activities that
support sustainable development.
In Japan, ESD implementation is divided into 3
sectors: formal schools, organizes out of schools, and
UNESCO Associated School Network (ASPnet).
414
Sodikin, S., Shantini, Y. and Mitsuru, T.
The Role of Community Learning Center to Promote ESD.
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences (ICES 2017) - Volume 2, pages 414-417
ISBN: 978-989-758-314-8
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

According to Maruyama (2010) the implementation
of ESD in the formal school sector are integrated with
subjects matter as the basis of knowledge in ESD.
Implementation of ESD out of school organization
sector is collaborating with non-government
stakeholders working on non-formal and informal
educational pathways. Indonesia implement
education for sustainable development (EfSD) also
through various services, with varying targets starting
from urban, rural or coastal communities. As an effort
to provide awareness and capability to all people,
especially future generations to contribute better for
sustainable development in the present and future.
One of the institutions that became the media in
disseminating ESD in non-formal education services
is Community Learning Centers (CLC) is an
institution outside the formal education system
organized for rural and urban community, which
arranged and managed by local people to organize
various learning opportunities to build society and to
make a difference to the quality of life of the people.
(Education, Education, and Clc, n.d.) CLC serves as
a place of educational and training activities, used for
community information services, to build, coordinate
and network communities. The core objective of CLC
is the problem-solving mechanism that is the goal of
empowerment, transformation and quality of life
through lifelong education, and social action.
Kominkan is the name of CLC in Japan, which
organizes social education for community. Based on
social education act article 20 and 23 Kominkan as
one of social education facilities were established for
local resident generally by local government. The
purpose of Kominkan is to conduct various project for
cause of education, science, and culture, meeting the
daily needs of the residence in municipalities and
other specific areas to develop their attainments,
improve their health, cultivate their sentiment, elevate
the cultural live, and increased the social welfare of
community.
Learning activities in CLC are flexible,
participatory, and leadership that motivates other
members of the community. Based on S. M.
Mahfuzur Rahman (2005) said that CLC as a new
type of continuing education institution that creates
opportunities to empower poor people, especially
women to encourage their social transformation. This
is the feature of PKBM or Community Learning
Center or CLC in Indonesia that organize learning
activity based on community learning needs. Apart
from PKBM in Indonesia, there are several other
education units such as Course and Training Institute,
Taqlim Assembly, Learning Group and Similar
Education Unit that provide non formal education
services to the community.
Education services in non-formal education have
the flexibility to deliver education services with a
sustainable development approach. Strong
environmental and cultural influences in learning
activities in accordance with the characteristics of
local community’s makes educational providers gave
more attention to the existence of the environment
and the potential of natural resources. Owned in
providing education services.
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
Every country develop their education vision based
their historical background. In Japan, as in other
countries after world war second, enacted new
constitution with three principle which is
“sovereignty resides in the people, respect for the
right of man, a war renouncing for making peace and
democracy”. Its underline the purpose of education
for respect and foster the freedom and autonomy
individual.
Building capacity is become important, capacity
is a blend of positive learning, skills, motivation and
organizational condition and culture that supported
by instructional facilities Social education often
defined as a wide variety of educational activities that
provided by social education institution such as
kominkan or public libraries and museum, volunteer
organization, learning activates that conducted in
classroom as self/mutual education of group of
citizen. (CONVITEA IV, 2009). Kominkan as one of
institution for social education in Japan provide a
place for people to meet and develop their abilities by
each other to enabling ESD (Education for
Sustainable Development) is an education which on
purpose to urge the society to become the sustainable
society implicitly formulated in 2008 on education
promotion basic plan.
The vision of ESD is to develop sustainable
society at everybody. ESD mission are behavior
creation and value that aim the realization of
sustainable society at everybody. ESD make the
society behavior or tradition and knowledge or
thought becoming something sustainable. ESD
issue’s differentiation between develop and
developing country according to Hirono Ryokichi on
Ishii (2012) focused activities of developed country
are environmental education, conciliation education,
developing education, Human Right education,
gender and children. Meanwhile the focused activities
of developing country is basic education on propose
The Role of Community Learning Center to Promote ESD
415

to alleviate conflicts, epidemics, not-hygienic way of
life, literacy, poverty, especially on female education.
Diversity of tribe and ethnic culture in country also
made the importance of multicultural knowledge.
2.1 The Institution of Kominkan
The original CLC model in Japan is known as the
Kominkan ((Public Welfare Hall) which is a social
education institution since 1949. After the Second
World War, the Japanese government instructed
Kominkan to create a system that supports adults
learning democracy and social development of
society. The municipalities are responsible for the
feasibility and quality of the Commission, such as
caring for the building, staff, and the committee of the
Commission. According to Maruyama, (2010) there
are 18,000 kominkan at first. Kominkan's success
experience has been shared with CLCs in ASEAN
countries and to be a learning experience by the
people of ASEAN countries.
To achieve the objectives of Kominkan as set out
in the act social education law in 1949 number 20
article 22 states that the programs that are held in
Kominkan include: opening the regular classes,
organizing class discussions, classroom training,
classroom lectures, practical classes, exhibitions,
setting up a library, records and scripts, models,
documents material or data and then promotes their
use, organize sport class, recreation and everything
related to the association, in cooperation with various
institutions, associations, and facility in intended to
be used by the local community and beyond.
2.2 Kominkan Promote ESD in Japan
ESD in Japan is supported through research, training,
exchange and advocacy activities. There are also
Regional Centers of Expertise (RCEs) represented by
Sendai and Okayama. According to Yamamoto,
(2015) RCE Sendai based on the public education
system, and school became the driving force in
promoting ESD in society. Unlike Okayama, it
supports ESD based on existing programs in
Kominkan. Kominkan plays a role in facilitating
community-related in supporting ESD. This is
evidenced by the "Research and Education for
Sustainable Development" program organized by
Kominkan in collaboration with Okayama City, UN
UNESCO. UNESCO Cultural Center for UNESCO
(ACCU), and Conference of Okayama International
NGO Networks (COINN). The conference was
attended by 8 CLCs in Asia Pacific who discussed the
role of Kominkan / CLC in supporting ESD. All
participants agreed and committed to support ESD in
the "Okayama Declaration" in November, 1st 2017.
One form of collaboration of formal education
and social education in Japan is the introduction of
school children in the natural environment organized
by Kominkan. Ishi in Maruyama (2013) describes
there are learning activities in the Kyokama area
centered in Kyokama Kominkan. These activities are
conducted twice a year in the spring and fall. The
learning activities of elementary school children up to
college and also with members of the local
community to conduct environmental activities, such
as investigating the flow of the river and then see the
quality of water and so on. Other area like in Fujita,
Kominkan and community introduce student from
schools such as rice planting. The activity cooperates
with the university as a form of joint development in
an area.
2.3 How is PKBM Promote ESD in
Indonesia
Non-formal education services in Indonesia are
organized in learning institution such as study groups,
courses and training, taqlim assemblies, PKBM and
similar education institution. In each institution
organize the program in accordance to the needs and
conditions of the target community. In introducing
ESD program in non formal education can be done
through academic activities through learning process
like in PAUD program that is play group and TPA,
literacy program, equality program and so forth.
Education for Sustainable Development can also be
done through skills education as a community
empowerment program such as in life skills,
entrepreneurship, skills courses and so on.
In the implementation of PKBM as one of the
non-formal education institution have the flexibility
in organizing diverse program services compared to
another PNF institution. Ministry of Culture and
Education (2017) release there were 10.953 PKBM
throughout Indonesia that organized various
programs in accordance to the needs of the
community. The program organized by PKBM
mostly is a program that aims to empower the
community according to the potential and needs of
the community in the target area.
Djudju Sudjana (2001) explains that PNF
program implementation in society will not be
separated from 7 components of a non-formal
education system that is raw input, instrumental input,
environmental input, process, output, other input and
outcome. These seven components of the system
become the distinguishing feature of providing non-
ICES 2017 - 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences
416

formal education services with formal education, and
environment becomes an important feature in the
provision of educational services.
2.4 7 Component in Nonformal
Learning
Figure 1: 7 system components.
Based in Figure 1, the program organizer of PKBM
management concerns the local potential which, in
essence, is a resource that is within a certain area. A
review of local potentials provides an overview of the
traditional wisdom of the community in utilizing
natural and social resources wisely to ensure its
environmental balance.
3 CONCLUSIONS
Kominkan as one of the social education institutions
in Japan has a very important role in promoting ESD
to the community, which is formed through the
developing experiences and learning that support
ESD. It shows by the activities facilitated or
coordinated by Kominkan in research, training, or
coordinating activity between schools with the
community so that there is transfer of knowledge and
mutual learning. Hopely it could encourage
community to have awareness for a better future.
The ESD approach in Indonesia through non-
formal education services is reflected in the
components of a designed learning system in which
environmental input is an important factor for
learning activities. Environment input determining
the natural resources that become local potential in
the implementation of learning. PKBM managers
always consider the natural resources available to
facilitate the sustainability of the program in the
community. So maintaining the sustainability of
natural resources becomes important actions.
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