The Literacy Movement in Labuhanbatu Regency

Agus Marwan, R. Hamdani Harahap

, Humaizi

and Hendra Harahap

1 2 3 4

Doctoral Program of Development Studies, Faculty of Social Science and Political Science,

Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jl. Prof. Dr. A. Sofyan No. 1 Kampus USU, Medan, Indonesia

Keywords: literacy movement, Labuhanbatu regency, the literacy skill of the 21st century

Abstract: Labuhanbatu is one of the literacy regencies in Indonesia. Since 2015, the literacy movement has started and

developed in Labuhanbatu. Discovering how the literacy movement and the orientation of its movement in

Labuhanbatu regency become the formalization of the problem of this study. Thus, the objective of the study

is to analyze the literacy movement and the literacy skill orientation in the Labuhanbatu regency. The study

methodology is qualitative descriptive. Describing existing data and facts, then interpreted and analyzed. The

data is obtained through a data collection technique, then interpreted according to the research objective

formulated before. There are two types of literacy movements growing in the Labuhanbatu Regency. First, is

the undertow or grassroots movement which is a movement initiated independently by societies in various

models or types of organization and communities e.g., Taman Baca Masyarakat (TBM/community reading),

writers’ communities, literature communities, Art and culture communities, and library communities. Second,

is the upstream or elite movement which is initiated by the government by developing the school’s literacy

movement and making literacy policies e.g., the bupati decree and district education decree. There are six

literacy skills in the 21st-century of life skill, they are reading, numeracy (maths skill), scientific literacy,

digital literacy, financial literacy, and cultural and civic literacy. From those six skills, the literacy movement

that has developed in Labuhanbatu still focuses on reading skills and numeracy skills. The literacy movement

in Labuhanbatu has not yet fully developed the 6 basic literacy skills of the 21st century.

1 INTRODUCTION

Indeed, the movement to grow the culture of reading

and literature has been carried out by various

communities in Indonesia. However, this movement

is still informal and limited to certain communities.

Only since 2015, formally the literacy movement has

been launched by the government through the

Regulation of the Ministry of Education and Culture

(Permendikbud) No. 23 of 2015. In this

Permendikbud, it is explained that literacy activities

are part of the movement to grow ethics. Through this

literacy movement, it is arranged to read and write for

15 minutes every day.

Since the Permendikbud was launched, the

education community has welcomed this literacy

movement with great enthusiasm. The 15-minute

reading movement every day begins in many schools,

complemented by classroom reading corners, reading

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9035-6729

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8520-9724

areas in schools, and the development of school

libraries. In addition, local governments have also

begun to express their support through regional policy

tools by declaring themselves as literacy

districts/cities. In 2015 the Surabaya City

Government (Pemko), Labuhanbatu Regency

Government (Pemkab) and Serdang Bedagai

Regency Government have declared themselves as

literacy regencies/cities.

Permendikbud No. 23 of 2015 encouraged the

emergence of the School Literacy Movement (GLS)

at the Directorate General of Primary and Secondary

Education, the Indonesian Reading Movement (GIM)

at the Directorate General of ECCE and Community

Education, and the National Literacy Movement

(GLB) at the Language Development and

Development Agency. All of these programs are

housed in the National Literacy Movement (GLN).

This movement is part of an effort to answer the

problem of low literacy rates in Indonesia.

Marwan, A., Harahap, R., Humaizi, . and Harahap, H.

The Literacy Movement in Labuhanbatu Regency.

DOI: 10.5220/0011563800003460

In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Social and Political Development (ICOSOP 2022) - Human Security and Agile Government, pages 185-195

ISBN: 978-989-758-618-7; ISSN: 2975-8300

 2023 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

185

In North Sumatra Province, Labuhanbatu

Regency is a pioneer of the literacy movement. When

none of the districts/cities have spoken out about

literacy, Labuhanbatu has declared a Reading Culture

on May 20, 2015. This declaration requires each

school to conduct a reading activity 15 minutes before

learning begins. This declaration was welcomed and

received support from various literacy communities

in Labuhanbatu.

Along with the declaration, various literacy

groups and communities have also grown and moved

a lot in Labuhanbatu Regency. This literacy

community grows and moves independently in

various community models, such as in the form of

Community Reading Parks (TBM), Writers'

Communities, Literary Communities, Art and Culture

Studios, Village Library Communities. Even before

the Labuhanbatu Regency Government declared the

Reading Movement, TBM and various Literacy

Communities already existed in the community.

From the report of the Labuhanbatu Regency

Library and Archives Office, the number of literacy

institutions and communities that are still active and

existing colors the Labuhanbatu Literacy Movement,

namely: there are 12 Community Reading Parks, 3

District Libraries, 34 Village Libraries, 45 Houses of

Worship Libraries (37 Mosque Libraries and 8

Church Libraries), 3 Puskesmas Libraries, 2 Special

Libraries. In addition, there are 10 literacy

communities driven by young people, which he

ushered in: Arus Kata, Malam Puisi Rantau Prapat,

Forum Lingkar Pena, Forum Writer Labuhanbatu,

Rumah Literasi, Mata Pena, Komunitas Literasi Bilah

Hilir En La Cendikia, Komunitas Literasi Ajamu,

Forum Seni dan Teater Labuhanbaturaya, and Forum

Masyarakat Literasi Labuhanbatu. And there are also

4 local art and culture-based literacy communities,

including: Sanggar Budaya Pesona Permata, Sanggar

Visual, Sanggar Nusantara, and Sanggar Sedya Laras.

There are two main forces that drive literacy in

Labuhanbatu Regency, namely the literacy

movement from the undercurrent, namely the

community, and the literacy movement from the

upper current, namely from the government. The two

currents of the literacy movement synergize with each

other and support each other to develop the Literacy

Movement in Labuhanbatu. The seriousness of the

Labuhanbatu Regency Government in growing the

literacy movement is shown by the birth of a Regent

Regulation (Perbup) related to literacy in 2016. This

regulation encourages all parties to take on the role of

the reading movement in Labuhanbatu. This

commitment made the Regent of Labuhanbatu

receive the Priority Literacy Award from the Ministry

of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia

(Kemendikbud RI), because it was considered

successful in promoting reading culture, the Ministry

of Education and Culture included Labuhanbatu

along with 18 regencies/cities in Indonesia as the

highest Dearah Literacy Development Index (IPLD)

area in Indonesia.

The Literacy Movement in Labuhanbatu Regency

with a large number of literacy institutions and

communities is interesting to map and study. And

referring to the six types of basic literacy skills that

are part of the skills of the 21st century, of course,

each of these literacy institutions and communities

has a developed literacy orientation.

The orientation of each literacy institution and

community is interesting to study, so that we can

connect and see the orientation pattern of the

Labuhanbatu Literacy Movement in developing

literacy as part of the skills of the 21st century.

The literacy movement in Labuhanbatu grows and

develops in the social background of the community

which has a variety of literacy orientations in

accordance with the growing local social and cultural

values. Without a social and cultural background that

supports literacy, it is certainly difficult for the

literacy movement to grow and develop. Usually the

social and cultural background that develops in one

area will affect the orientation of the literacy

movement developed in the area. Apart from the

inside, usually a movement will quickly develop if

there is encouragement or support from outside

(external). In addition to support from the

government, the literacy movement in Labuhanbatu

also received support from other stakeholders. The

most prominent support is from USAID (United

States Agency for International Development)

through the PRIORITAS (Prioritizing Reforms

Innovation and Opportunity For Reaching Indonesian

Teachers Administrators and Students) Program.

USAID PRIORITAS plays a significant role in

developing the literacy movement, especially in

schools.

The lively Literacy Movement in Labuhanbatu

Regency is still growing and developing today. The

government grew the literacy movement at the school

level, while the community grew the literacy

movement at the institutional and community level.

Both the government and the community are

strengthening the literacy movement by building

synergy, and strengthening it by seeking support from

other stakeholders.How the Literacy Movement and

Literacy Proficiency Orientation in Labuhanbatu

Regency, this is the formulation of the problem in this

study. Through this research, it is hoped that the

ICOSOP 2022 - International Conference on Social and Political Development 4

186

pattern of the Literacy Movement and its literacy

skills orientation in Labuhanbatu Regency can be

explored and illustrated. So that it can be useful for

the development of the literacy movement in an area.

In addition, it is hoped that it can add literature related

to the literacy movement in one area that has recently

become more lively.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 The Concept of Literacy

Literacy is generally understood as the ability or skill

to read, write and count. The word literacy comes

from the Latin litera which means letter, or often

interpreted as literacy. When viewed from the

meaning of the letter literacy means a person's ability

to read and write. People who can read and write are

usually called literate, while people who cannot read

and write are called imliterate or illiterate.

Literacy according to the Oxford Dictionary is the

ability to read and write; competence or knowledge

in a specified area. Meanwhile, the Big Dictionary of

Indonesian (fourth edition, 2008) has not included

"literacy" in it, instead of "literator" for literary

experts, professional authors; also "literal" which

means it relates to the writing tradition. If we interpret

"literacy" as "literacy", the Big Dictionary Indonesian

define it very limitedly, namely the ability to read and

write. People who are able to read and write are

referred to as "aksarawan". In the Indonesian-English

dictionary by Alan M. Stevens and A. Ed.

Schmidgall-Tellings published in 2014, there is no

mention of "literacy" in the dictionary.

According to experts, such as Harvey J. Graff

(2006) define Literacy as an ability in a person to

write and read. Meanwhile, according to Elizabeth

Sulzby (1986), literacy is the language ability

possessed by a person in communicating "reading,

speaking, listening and writing" in different ways

according to their goals.

UNESCO defines literacy as a set of abilities

using reading, writing and numeracy skills acquired

and developed through the process of learning and

application in schools, families and communities.

Long before that, UNESCO had also formulated the

definition of literacy four times. First, literacy is

defined as a person's ability to understand readings

and write short and simple statements in everyday life

(UNESCO, 1951). Second, literacy is the continuity

of reading and writing activities in the context of daily

life (UNESCO, 1957). Third, literacy is a person's

possession of the essence of knowledge and skills that

enable himself in all activities that require functioning

effectively within his group or community and

realizing that reading, writing and arithmetic will

allow him to use that knowledge and skills in the

development of his own community (UNESCO,

1962). Fourth, literacy is the ability of a person to

associate all literacy activities with their effective use

within their group or community and enable

themselves to use reading, writing, and counting

continuously for the development of themselves and

their communities (UNESCO, 1978).

The National Institute for Literacy, defines

Literacy as an individual's ability to read, write,

speak, calculate and solve problems at the level of

expertise required in work, family and society. This

definition interprets Literacy from a more contextual

perspective.

The Education Development Center (EDC) states

that Literacy is more than just literacy. But more than

that, Literacy is the ability of an individual to use all

the potential and skills possessed in his life. With the

understanding that literacy includes the ability to read

words and read the world.

2.2 The Concept of 21st Century

Proficiency

According to Scott CL (2015) The development of

the 21st century is characterized by a significant shift

in the development of world civilization, from

manufacturing-based services to services that

emphasize information and knowledge. Knowledge

itself is growing and expanding exponentially.

Information and communication technologies have

changed the way we learn, the nature of the work that

can be done, and the meaning of social relationships.

Joint decision making, information sharing,

collaboration, innovation, and speed of work are all

very important aspects at this time. Today, success

indicators are more based on the ability to

communicate, share, and use information to solve

complex problems, be adaptable and innovate in

response to new demands and changing

circumstances, and expand the power of technology

to create new knowledge. New standard skills are

needed in accordance with the development of this

21st century.

In 2015, the World Economic Forum (WEF) a

Geneva-based non-governmental international

organization published a report entitled New Vision

For Education: Unlocking the Potential of

Technology. The report focuses on the pressing

issues of the 21st century skills gap and ways to

address it. In the report, a set of 16 essential skills for

The Literacy Movement in Labuhanbatu Regency

187

education in the 21st century is defined. Those skills

include six basic literacy, 10 skills labeled

competence and Character qualities.

Here are 16 skills for 21st century, as depicted in

the diagram below.

Figure 1: 16 skills that students required for 21

Century.

In this formulation of 21st century proficiency,

literacy is a key skill used by students or a person to

apply their various skills in doing their tasks or living

their lives. There are 6 basic literacy skills that are

indicators of 21st century skills, including: Reading

and Writing Literacy, Numeracy Literacy, Science

Literacy, Digital Literacy, Financial Literacy, and

Cultural and Citizenship Literacy.

These 21st century prowess that have been

formulated through the WEF are rapidly influencing

the discourse of educational development in the

world. Many countries, make these 16 skills as the

main indicator in achieving the targeted outcomes of

their graduate students. Especially in developing

countries such as Indonesia, this 21st century

proficiency is a reference in the development of

curriculum and learning strategies.

In Indonesia itself, this 21st century proficiency

has been adopted as a reference in the development of

basic and secondary education. The Ministry of

Education and Culture has formulated 17 skills that

are achievements in the learning process so that

students can compete globally. Of the 17 skills, 16 of

them are fully adopting the 21st century skills

formulated by the WEF. The Ministry of Education

and Culture only added one proficiency to the

category of character qualities, namely by adding one

proficiency: religious or faith and taqwa.

2.3 New Social Movement Theory

New social movements generally respond to issues

originating from civil society, and target the social

domain of civil society rather than the economy or the

state, and raise issues related to demoralizing the

structure of daily life and focusing attention on forms

of communication and collective identity. Jean Cohen

(1985:669) states that new social movements limit

themselves in four senses namely, (a) Actors of new

social movements do not fight for the return of

unattainable utopian communities of the past (b)

Their actors strive for autonomy, plurality (c) Their

actors make conscious efforts to learn from past

experiences, to relativize their values through

reasoning, (d) Its actors consider the formal state of

the state and the market economy, thus the purpose

of the new social movement was to reimagine the

relations of the state, society and economy and to

create a public space in which there was a democratic

discourse of individual autonomy and freedom.

A new social movement is a form of collective

activity that is partly extra-institutional or anti-

institutional and that aims to bring about change or

prevent a social change. The goals and values of this

movement are at their core universal. Their actions

are directed by defending the essence and protecting

the conditions of humanity for a better life.

The New Social Movement gained popularity in

the late 1960s or early 1970s, which is viewed in this

perspective, is a mirror reflection of the image of a

new society, this movement signifies the need for a

new paradigm about the collective, an alternative

model of culture and society, and a new self-

awareness of communities about their future.

The theory of the new social movement has some

of its main features. First, it views and places the

activities of social movements as a collective action

that is rational and has positive values. Second, to

refine and contextualize the theories of previous

social movements into the contemporary era such as

internalizing Karl Mark's theory of class exploitation

into a theory of grievance that is more suitable for use

in the current context where collective actions

develop not only and are solely driven by the class

exploitation of the means of production against the

workers in capitalist society. Third, the increasing

number of research and studies of social movements

in countries outside North America and Western

Europe is making the study of social movements

richer. Fourth, modern social movement theory

manages to identify what factors facilitate the growth

of a social movement, whether a social movement is

strong or not.

ICOSOP 2022 - International Conference on Social and Political Development 4

188

3 RESEARCH METHODS

This research will use qualitative research methods.

According to Moleong Lexy J, qualitative method

research is the research intended to understand the

phenomenon of what the subject of the study

experiences holistically and in a descriptive way in

the form of words and language, in a special context

that is natural and by utilizing various scientific

methods. The approach used in this study is to use a

descriptive qualitative approach, which is a study that

intends to understand the phenomenon of what the

research subject experiences, for example behavior,

perception, motivation, action, etc. holistically and by

means of descriptions in the form of words and

language in a special natural context and by utilizing

various natural methods. Meanwhile, according to

Elvinaro Ardianto, the descriptive qualitative method

focuses on observation and natural atmosphere

(natural setting). The researcher plunged directly into

the field, acting as an observer. He created behavioral

categories, observed symptoms, and recorded them in

observation books. It does not seek to manipulate

variables.

The sources of research data are primary and

secondary data. Primary data is collected from key

people, while secondary data is derived from policy

documents and literacy programs that have been

formulated and implemented. In addition, secondary

data is taken from several program reports. Both

primary and secondary data are collected and

analyzed, with qualitative descriptive data analysis

techniques. The data obtained through the data

collection technique is then given sufficient

interpretation in accordance with the research

objectives that have been formulated.

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 the Beginning of the Literacy

Movement in Indonesia

The National Literacy Movement began to emerge

through the state in line with the issuance of the

Regulation of the Minister of Education and Culture

of the Republic of Indonesia (Permendikbud)

Number 23 of 2015 concerning the Growth of Ethics.

This Minister of Education and Culture contains

various activities carried out by students and teachers,

both mandatory and elective in order to strengthen

character education with the growth of ethics.

Various activities and good behaviors mentioned in

the Permendikud are used as habituation and grow up

in schools. One of the activities mentioned in the

Permendikbud is reading activities. This habit of

reading is expected to become a habit and culture in

schools and then become accustomed at home. In the

appendix of the Minister of Education and Culture

point F, the habituation of activities in point VI

(Developing the potential of students as a whole) is:

“Using 15 minutes before the learning day to read

books other than subject books that are carried out

every day”.

With the emergence of Permendikbud No. 23 of

2015, literacy has begun to grow, especially at the

school level. The Ministry of Education and Culture

in this case obliges all schools in Indonesia to carry

out reading activities and start cultivating reading.

This echo of literacy has also begun to be felt in

schools in districts/cities. The government through

the Ministry of Education and Culture and the

National Library continues to encourage the growth

of the literacy movement nationwide. Through this

Minister of Education and Culture, the School

Literacy Movement (GLS) program emerged at the

Directorate General of Primary and Secondary

Education, the Indonesian Reading Movement (GIM)

at the Directorate General of ECCE and Community

Education, and the National Literacy Movement

(GLB) at the Language Development and

Development Agency. All of these programs are

housed in the National Literacy Movement (GLN).

This movement is part of an effort to answer the

problem of low literacy rates in Indonesia. Under the

umbrella of the National Literacy Movement, the

Ministry of Education and Culture designed the

national literacy policy program and roadmap. The

Ministry of Education and Culture then sets indicators

for the achievement of literacy programs for regions

nationally. The indicator is formulated in the form of

the Regional Literacy Index (ILD).

This ILD consists of five components that

describe the literacy program implemented by

stakeholders as stated in the 2016 National Literacy

Movement Report issued by the Directorate General

of PAUD-Dikmas of the Ministry of Education and

Culture in 2016, it was stated that the ILD consists of

five components that describe the literacy program

implemented by stakeholders. The five components

of the ILD are: Publication and Socialization,

Strengthening Literacy Actors/Activists, Providing

Reading Materials, Strengthening Institutions, and

Public Engagement.

The Literacy Movement in Labuhanbatu Regency

189

4.2 Literacy Movement in

Labuhanbatu Regency

Various literacy communities have started to grow in

Labuhanbatu Regency in 2015. This community

emerged initiated by educational leaders and

volunteers who care about literacy. This form of

literacy community consists of a Community Reading

Garden, a Literary Community, and an Arts

Community. Formally, the Literacy Movement in

Labuhanbatu Regency began with the launching of

Labuhanbatu Regency as a Literacy Regency through

the Reading Culture Declaration which was held on

May 20, 2015 at the Children's Playground, Bina

Raga Field Complex, Rantau Prapat City. This

declaration was led directly by the Regent of

Labuhanbatu dr. Tigor Panusunan Siregar, Sp.PD.

This declaration of reading culture was attended by

5000 students from the elementary, junior high, and

high school/vocational levels. In addition to the

Regent, educators, students, declarations were also

followed by various elements of the community that

care about literacy.

Through this declaration, the government is

determined to increase interest in reading, and make

reading a culture at school and at home. All schools

in Labuhanbatu Regency are required by the Regent

to develop various literacy programs through the

School Literacy Movement. Along with the

emergence of Permendikbud No. 23 of 2015, the

School Literacy Movement in Labuhanbatu Regency

has begun to be promoted.

After the declaration of reading culture, and the

emergence of the school literacy movement, the spirit

of the literacy movement has strengthened in various

literacy communities. It has begun to add up and

emerge literacy communities such as the literary

community, and the Community Reading Garden. In

addition to continuing to encourage the Literacy

Movement in Schools, the district government

through the Education Office and the Library Office

also continues to encourage literacy movements in

various communities. The map of the Literacy

Movement in Labuhanbatu District appears and

moves in two currents. First the Literacy Movement

that emerged and moved from the bottom, that is,

from society. Second, the Literacy Movement that

emerged from the upper current, namely from the

government.

4.2.1 Community Literacy Movement

Some literacy communities that emerged from the

community have begun to grow in Labuhanbatu

Regency before this district launched a reading

culture. The community grows and moves

independently in various forms of Literacy

institutions &communities, such as the Community

Reading Park (TBM) community, writers'

community, literary community, cultural arts studio,

and library community. Since its establishment as a

literacy district in Labuhanbatu, the movement of

various literacy communities has grown and existed.

The TBM community focuses on increasing interest

in reading. TBM provides free reading facilities to

visitors who come from around the TBM location. In

addition to lending books, this TBM activity also

helps children to learn to read and write, storytelling

activities, write short stories and poems. Some TBM

create vocational skills courses for adolescent

children and mothers. There are also TBM that have

begun to develop inclusion programs by developing

training programs for the empowerment and

improvement of the household economy.

The writers’ community and the literary

community focus on the literacy activities of the

writing-writing world and the literary world. Forms

of activities such as writing poems, reading poems,

writing short stories, writing novels, musicalizing

poems, theater, organizing writing training activities,

creating poetry evening activities in various cafes,

and publishing books written by community

members. The sanggar arts and culture community

focuses on Malay music activities, dance, pantun,

storytelling, hikayat, karawitan art, and wayang.

Meanwhile, the library community focuses on

reading books and borrowing books.

Based on a report from the Labuhanbatu Regency

Library Office, there are 12 Community Reading

Parks that are managed independently by the

community. The 12 Community Reading Parks are

TBM Cahaya Ilmu, TBM Khatarina, TBM Pelangi

Ilmu, TBM Komunitas Rumah Pelangi, TBM

Cakrawala, TBM Gema Wisesa, TBM Astana Tears,

TBM Latanza, TBM Kampung Dongeng, TBM Pena,

TBM Ananda, and TBM Anak Panai.

There are also 10 youth-driven literacy

communities focused on developing writing, reading

and literature programs. The 10 literacy communities

are Arus Kata, Malam Puisi Rantau Prapat, Forum

Lingkar Pena, Forum Writer Labuhanbatu, Rumah

Literasi, Mata Pena, Komunitas Literasi Bilah Hilir

En La Cendikia, Komunitas Literasi Ajamu, Forum

Seni dan Teater Labuhanbaturaya, and Forum

Masyarakat Literasi Labuhanbatu. Then there are 4

literacy communities based on local arts and culture,

such as: Sanggar Budaya Pesona Permata, Sanggar

Visual, Sanggar Nusantara, and Sanggar Sedya Laras.

ICOSOP 2022 - International Conference on Social and Political Development 4

190

In addition to TBM and the literacy community,

the literacy movement is also strengthened by the

establishment of territorial and sectoral-based

libraries such as sub-district libraries, village

libraries, houses of worship libraries, puskesmas

libraries, and special libraries. Labuhanbatu Regency

has 3 Subdistrict Libraries, 34 Village Libraries, 45

Houses of Worship Libraries (37 Mosque Libraries

and 8 Church Libraries), 3 Puskesmas Libraries, 2

Special Libraries.

The literacy movements of various community

communities are running synergistically and

mutually strengthening the literacy movement in

Labuhanbatu. When one community creates an

activity, various other literacy communities also

participate and are involved in the activity. Even in

some activities they carry out jointly and support each

other.

4.2.2 Government Literacy Movement

The seriousness of the Labuhanbatu Regency

Government in fostering a reading culture is shown

by the birth of the Regent Regulation (Perbup) in

2016. This regulation encourages all parties to take on

the role of the reading movement in Labuhanbatu.

This commitment made the Regent of Labuhanbatu

received the Priority Literacy Award from the

Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of

Indonesia, because it was considered successful in

promoting reading culture. The Ministry of Education

and Culture included Labuhanbatu along with 18

other districts/cities, as the area with the highest

Regional Literacy Development Index (IPLD) in

Indonesia.

Institutionally, there are two agencies that lead

and drive the Literacy Movement in Labuhanbatu,

namely the Education Office and the Labuhanbatu

Library and Archives Service as the Regional

Apparatus Work Unit (SKPD) which is directly

related to the literacy movement, translating the

commitment of the Labuhanbatu Regent into a variety

of programs and activities. The Education Office

made a policy by issuing a Decree for all schools to

develop the School Literacy Movement. The Library

Service encourages the participation of citizens to

take part in the literacy movement. Over time, the

literacy movement became more and more intense in

Labuhanbatu. The community welcomed this

movement with enthusiasm. Various literacy

programs in schools began to be implemented.

Reading and writing communities grew

independently. They stage educational actions in new

and innovative ways.

School Literacy Movement. The school literacy

movement has begun to grow in schools in

Labuhanbatu Regency. The beginning of the School

literacy movement in Labuhanbatu began with a

literacy program developed by USAID PRIORITAS

since 2013. Long before the emergence of

Permendikbud No. 23 of 2015, dozens of schools in

Labuhanbatu Regency had actually begun to develop

the Literacy Movement. Only then after the

Declaration of Reading Culture of Labuhanbatu

District in 2015, the School Literacy Movement was

massively promoted to all schools in Labuhanbatu.

After the school received capacity building related

to the literacy program, various literacy activities in

the school have been carried out in Labuhanbatu.

Schools are the main targets of real literacy programs.

Through schools, the intelligence of the nation's

generation can be well forged, and one of them is

through literacy programs.

In the early stages of the school literacy program

is the growth of interest in reading culture with

reading activities. This is done by requiring reading

activities for 15 minutes before starting lessons

throughout the school. Then a silent reading program

is carried out with a set time, and then students

present the reading results in between learning.

In addition to reading, writing activities are also

carried out, with the presentation of the results of

writing in between learnings carried out. Guided

listening activities are also carried out and then

presentations of the results he hears in between

lessons. Students also make regular school visits.

The school also prepares and provides various

physical facilities for reading culture programs in the

school, such as: reading corners in every classroom,

reading huts, reading trees, and reading baskets. In

order to increase the number of books in the school,

book donation activities were made from alumni, and

also from other parties that were not binding. Some

schools have already begun to create school bulletins

and student writing collection books. There are

reading Ambassadors in schools, students who have a

high commitment and passion for literacy are selected

to be school reading ambassadors.

Various literacy competitions are also carried out

at the school level, such as speech competitions,

storytelling, poetry reading, writing stories, reading

the Qur'an, reading illustrated stories, and being

careful. These competitions are usually carried out in

celebrations of religious holidays as well as national

holidays.

Literacy Policies and Programs in

Labuhanbatu District.

In order to realize the

The Literacy Movement in Labuhanbatu Regency

191

National Literacy Movement program that has been

organized by the central government through the

Ministry of Education and Culture, the Labuhanbatu

district government formulates various policies and

programs. The forms of policies that have been issued

include: Regent's Regulation of 2016 concerning

Reading Culture, Decree of the Education Office of

2016 concerning Literacy Development, Decree of

the Library Service 2017 concerning Literacy

Development. The policy of the regional head was

then continued by the Education Office and the

Library Service by compiling various programs and

activities.

In fostering the development of the Literacy

Movement, the Labuhanbatu Regency government

has taken five strategic steps: First, Policy. The

District Government through the Education Office

and the Library Office carried out a number of

policies that provided a climate for the growth of the

School Lieration Movement and Community

Reading Parks (TBM), such as: (a) sharing capacity

building guidance to schools, TBM and reading

communities. (b) involve public and private schools

in encouraging the growth of reading culture through

activities such as training, workshops, library visits.

communities. (d) hold literacy-related competitions

such as library competitions, storytelling, writing,

and poetry reading.

Second, Communication. The government

actively communicates with schools, communities

and TBM. This is shown by: (a) building an approach

both structurally and personally, so that there is no

distance from schools and TBM. The reading

community in Labuhanbatu seems like a family. (b)

The Education Office and the Library Service always

involve themselves in literacy activities. Inviting the

head of the service is enough just to use texting or

telephone. It doesn't have to use bureaucratic

correspondence.

Third, Participation. The government is not alone

in implementing work programs. The Education

Office and the Library Office always involve schools,

communities and TBM, such as: (a) often involving

schools, TBM and reading communities in activities

and competitions at the provincial level. (b)

encourage and encourage the community and TBM to

be present in every activity carried out by TBM.

Fourth, Campaign. The government constantly

campaigned for the reading movement through

various activities and media, such as: (a) reporting

programs and activities through the website. (b) use

official social media and staff-owned social media to

campaign for the reading movement. (c) campaigns

using mainstream mass media such as newspapers,

online and radio. (d) create jingles that are broadcast

over local radios.

Fifth, Leadership. The regent in this case was

directly involved in declaring a culture of reading.

The Head of the Education Office and the Library

Service became a role model for the literacy

movement. The Head of the Education Office, Mr.

Sarimpunan, and the Head of the Library Service, Mr.

Leo Sunarta, are the key figures. They were able to

become locomotives of the literacy movement. Here

is the leadership shown by these two service chiefs.

(a) Always be hands-on in literacy activities. His

demeanor and appearance are simple, and more

down-to-earth. The reading community and TMB

welcomed him as an unpretentious person. (b) He did

not even hesitate to spend personal money to donate

books to TBM and the newly growing reading

community.

In addition, to further strengthen the literacy

movement and the development of public opinion, the

Labuhanbatu Government again launched the

Literacy District and at the same time managed to

break the Record of the Indonesian World Record

Museum (MURI) for the category of "Writing Hopes

about labuhanbatu development by the most

students". A total of 10,120 students were involved in

creating this essay. The activity was held on

November 29, 2016 at the Rantauprapat Sports

Arena. MURI appreciates the commitment of the

Labuhanbatu Government as a pioneer of the literacy

movement in North Sumatra.

4.2.3 Support from USAID PRIORITAS

USAID PRIORITAS is an educational partnership

program between the United States government and

Indonesia. The purpose of this program is to improve

the quality of wider education in Indonesia. USAID

stands for United State Agency for International

Development of the United States. This body is

directly subordinate to the embassies of the United

States. Meanwhile, PRIORITAS stands for

Prioritizing, Reform, Innovation, and Opportunuties

for Reaching Inodnesian Teachers Administrators

and Students. A program that prioritizes renewal,

innovation and opportunities for teachers, education

staff and students.

The program collaborates with partners at the

national and local levels to improve the quality and

relevance of learning, improve education governance

and management and improve coordination support

within and between schools, teacher

education/training institutions and governments at all

ICOSOP 2022 - International Conference on Social and Political Development 4

192

levels. Labuhanbatu District conducted a

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with USAID

PRIORITAS on November 22, 2012, and the program

began running in early 2013. One of the educational

programs that are collaborated is related to reading

culture programs. The reading culture program only

started in mid-2014, and is still very limited to 24

partner schools alone. In addition to training school

stakeholders related to reading culture in schools, it

also provided 3600 copies of books to 24 partner

schools.

In 2016, this partnership program with USAID

PRIORITAS was continued with the Tiered Reading

Book (B3) program. This program will specifically

help children in the early grades to have reading skills

and understand the content of the reading well. This

program trains teachers and principals in 176 partner

schools that have been selected After the training at

the school level was completed, USAID PRIORITAS

provided book assistance to 176 partner schools

whose teachers had been trained before. Each school

gets 312 tiered reading books and its guidebooks.

4.3 Literacy Skills Orientation in

Labuhanbatu

There are 6 basic literacy skills that are indicators of

21st century skills, including: Reading and Writing

Literacy, Numeracy Literacy, Science Literacy,

Digital Literacy, Financial Literacy, and Cultural and

Civic Literacy. Of the six literacy skills of the 21st

century, the majority of TBM groups in Labuhanbatu

district are still conducting reading and writing

literacy programs, and few inclusion programs to

improve the economy of residents through various

vocational training activities.

Literary-based literacy communities are also still

oriented towards developing reading, writing and a

little cultural literacy skills. Likewise, the library

community is territorial, sectoral, and specialized

libraries only develop reading literacy skills. In the

art-based literacy community, the orientation of

literacy skills only focuses on art activities and is not

much oriented towards cultural development. Its

activities are more about the preservation of art and

culture.

Similar to the literacy movement in schools, the

development of the movement is still dominated by

the literacy skills of reading, writing, numeracy, and

starting to develop science literacy. These various

literacy skills are carried out integrated in learning,

and also in the form of separate activities specifically

The literacy movement in Labuhanbatu is still not

fully developing the 6 basic literacy skills of the 21st

century. Both the literacy movement from the

community and the literacy movement from the

government to develop their literacy skills are still

oriented towards reading, writing and numeracy

literacy. The science, digital, financial, and civic and

cultural literacy skills that are part of the basic literacy

skills of the 21st century are still not widely

developed.

5 CONCLUSIONS

Labuhanbatu Regency is a district that is serious

about developing the literacy movement. The literacy

movement grew out of the community with various

communities, institutions and community reading

parks. This movement was strengthened by the

literacy movement from the government with the

development of the literacy movement in schools and

the issuance of various literacy policies and programs

by the government, such as in the form of regent

regulations, programs carried out by the Education

Office and the Library Office.

The literacy movement from the community and

the government is running synergistically. The

literacy movement of the community driven by

various literacy communities supports the literacy

movements and policies that have been carried out by

the government. On the other hand, the government

through the Library Office also supports the literacy

movement from the community through various

programs, book grant support, socialization,

communication and coordination. The literacy

movement in Labuhanbatu also received support

from USAID PRIORITAS by providing reading book

grants and capacity building for principals, teachers,

and education stakeholders.

Although the Literacy Movement in Labuhanbatu

has begun to exist since 2015, the literacy skills

orientation developed is still not fully oriented to the

6 basic literacy skills of the 21st century. Both the

Literacy Movement from the Community and from

schools is still predominantly oriented towards

reading, writing, and numeracy literacy skills.

Science, digital, financial and civic and cultural

literacy skills are still not widely developed.

REFERENCES

Antoro, B. 2017. Gerakan Literasi Sekolah: Dari Pucuk

Hingga Akar Sebuah Refleksi, Direktorat Jendral

The Literacy Movement in Labuhanbatu Regency

193

Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah, Kementrian

Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. Jakarta.

Ardianto. E. 2011. Metodologi Penelitian Untuk Public

Relations Kuantitatif dan Kualitatif, Simbiosa

Rekatama Media. Bandung.

Badan Pusat Statistik. 2015. Indeks Pembangunan Manusia

2014, Badan Pusat Statistik. Jakarta.

Dewayani. S & Retnaningdyah.P. 2017. Suara Dari

Marjin: Literasi Sebagai Praktik Sosial, Remaja

Rosdakarya. Bandung.

Dinas Perpustakaan dan Arsip Kabupaten Labuhanbatu.

2021. Dokumen Laporan Dinas Perpustakaan dan

Kearsipan Kabupaten Labuhanbatu Tahun 2021, Dinas

Perpustakaan dan Arsip Kabupaten Labuhanbatu.

Labuhanbatu.

Direktorat Jendral Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah,

Kementrian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan RI. 2016.

Desain Induk Gerakan Literasi Sekolah, Kementrian

Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan RI. Jakarta.

Education for All Global Monitoring Report. 2016.

Literacy for Life, UNESCO. Paris.

Gong. G.A. & Irkham. A.M. 2012. Gempa Literasi: Dari

Kampung untuk Indonesia, KPG. Jakarta.

Gross. J. 2006. The Long-Term Cost of Literacy Difficulties,

KPMG Foundation. London.

Ibrahim. G.A. dkk. 2017. Peta Jalan Gerakan Literasi

Nasional, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan.

Jakarta.

Kalida. M. & Mursyid. M. 2020. Gerakan Literasi

Mencerdaskan Negeri, Aswaja Pressindo. Yogyakarta.

Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia Pusat Bahasa. 2008. Kamus

Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Departemen Pendidikan

Nasional. Jakarta.

Kusuma. C.S.D. 2017. Counteract Hoax Through Reading

Interest Motivation. International Conference on Ethics

of Business, Economics, and Social Science, Vol. 2. pp.

34-54. https://eprints.uny.ac.id/52390/.

Marwan. A. & Hutasoit. E. 2017. Geliat Literasi

Labuhanbatu: Upaya Masyarakat Membangun Budaya

Baca, Dinas Perpustakan dan Kearsipan Kabupaten

Labuhanbatu dan Fire Publisher. Rantau Prapat.

Marwan. A. 2020. Membangun Literasi Bangsa: Upaya

Serdang Bedagai Mewujudkan Kabupaten Literasi,

Ragam Pustaka. Yogyakarta.

Meliyawati. 2016. Pemahaman Dasar Membaca,

Deepublish Publisher. Yogyakarta.

Mibtadin 2017. Gerakan Sosial Masyarakat Sipil, Studi

Gerakan Sosial LKiS, Fahmina, dan The Wahid

Insititute. Doctoral Thesis. Pascasarjana. Jurusan

Doktor Studi Islam. UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta.

pp. 1-336. Yogyakarta: Universitas Islam Negeri

Yogyakarta.

Milles & Huberman. 1992. Analisis Data Kualitatif,

Universitas Indonesia Press. Jakarta.

Moleong. LJ. 2013. Metodologi Penelitian Kualitatif, PT

Remaja Rosda Karya. Bandung.

Mubarok.H., Zubaidah.S. & Mardianto. 2018. Kontribusi

USAID PRIORITAS Dalam Menumbuhkembangkan

Budaya Literasi di Sekolah SD/MI di Kabupaten

Langkat. Jurnal Analytica Islamica, Universitas Islam

Negeri Sumatera Utara (UINSU), Vol. 7(1). pp. 47-59.

http://jurnal.uinsu.ac.id/index.php/analytica/article/vie

w/7053.

Nudiati. D. 2020. Literasi Sebagai Kecakapan Hidup Abad

21 pada Mahasiswa. Indonesian Journal of Learning

Education and Counseling, Vol. 3 (1), pp. 34-40.

https://journal.ilininstitute.com/index.php/IJoLEC/arti

cle/view/561/338.

Nugraha. D. & Octavianah. D. 2020. Diskursus Literasi

Abad 21 di Indonesia. Jurnal Pendidikan Edutama, Vol

7(1), pp. 107-125. https://ejurnal.ikippgribojonegoro.ac

.id/index.php/JPE/article/view/789/0.

Puspitoningrum. E. 2018. Implementasi Literasi Untuk

Meningkatkan Memotivasi Pembelajaran Pada Materi

Aksara Jawa Siswa SMA. Jurnal Wacana, Vol. 2(1),

pp. 35-45. https://ojs.unpkediri.ac.id/index.php/bind/art

icle/view/12743.

Redaksi. [Artikel Online Prioritas Pendidikan.org]. www.pr

ioritaspendidikan.org.

Redaksi. “Literacy noun” [Kamus Online Oxford Learner's

Dictionaries.com]. Available at: https://www.oxfordlea

rnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/literacy.

Saepudin. E. 2015. Tingkat Budaya Membaca Masyarakat:

Studi Kasus Pada Masyarakat di Kabupaten Bandung.

Jurnal Kajian Informasi dan Perpustakaan, Universitas

Padjadjaran, Vol. 3(2), pp. 271-282. https://jurnal.unp

ad.ac.id/jkip/article/view/10003.

Saidah. Z. 2018. Pengembangan Budaya Literasi Dalam

Meningkatkan Pemahaman Peserta Didik pada

Matapelajaran Agama Islam di SMAN 1 Batu, Fakultas

Agama Islam Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang.

Malang.

Saputra. A. 2014. Peran UNESCO Dalam Pemberantasan

Buta Aksara di Indonesia Tahun 2007-2012. Jurnal

Online Mahasiswa FISIP, Universitas Riau, Vol. 1(2),

pp. 1-11. https://www.neliti.com/id/publications/31679

/peran-unesco-dalam-pemberantasan-buta-aksara-di-

indonesia-tahun-2007-2012.

Sari. E.S. & Pujiono. S. 2017. Budaya Literasi Dikalangan

Mahasiswa FBS UNY. Jurnal Litera, Vol. 16(1), pp.

105-113. https://journal.uny.ac.id/index.php/litera/artic

le/view/14254.

Singh. R. 2010. Gerakan Sosial Baru, Resist Book.

Yogyakarta.

Sirojuzilam dan Mahali.K. 2010. Regional: Pembangunan,

Perencanaan, dan Ekonomi, USU Press. Medan.

Situmorang. A.W. 2007. Gerakan Sosial Studi Kasus

Beberapa Perlawanan

, Pustaka Pelajar. Yogyakarta.

Solin. M. 2004. Pengaruh Pendekatan Pembelajaran Dan

Penguasaan Proposisi Terhadap Pemerolehan

Keberaksaraan. Doctoral Thesis. Program Pasca

Sarjana. Universitas Negeri Jakarta. Jakarta:

Universitas Negeri Jakarta.

Stevens. A.M. & Tellings. A.E.S. 2014. Kamus Lengkap

Indonesia-Inggris, Mizan. Bandung.

Sugiyono. 2008. Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif, Kualitatif

dan R&D, Alfabeta. Bandung.

Sukmana. O. 2016. Konsep dan Teori Gerakan Sosial,

Instrans Publishing. Malang.

ICOSOP 2022 - International Conference on Social and Political Development 4

194

Supit. C.M. 2020. New Social Movement (Studi Tentang

YRBK sebagai Gerakan Literasi dalam Upaya

Mewujudkan Kesadaran Politik Kaum Milenial di Kota

Banjar). Undergraduate Thesis. Fakultas Ilmu Sosial

dan Ilmu Politik. Jurusan Ilmu Politik. Universitas

Siliwangi Tasikmalaya. Tasikmalaya: Fakultas Ilmu

Sosial dan Ilmu Politik.

USAID-PRIORITAS. 2016. Laporan Program Buku

Bacaan Berjenjang USAID PRIORITAS Sumatera

Utara Tahun 2016, USAID-PRIORITAS. Sumatera

Utara.

Wahyuni. S. 2009. Menumbuhkembangkan Minat Baca

Menuju Masyarakat Literat. Jurnal Diksi. Vol. 16(2),

pp. 179-189. https://doi.org/10.21831/diksi.v16i2.661

Waspada. 2012. USAID Luncurkan Program Peningkatan

Mutu Pendidikan. Harian Waspada, 22 November

2012.

World Economic Forum. 2015. New Vision for Education:

Unlocking the Potential of Technology, . Geneva.

Zahara. A. & Fithriana. A. 2018. Kerjasama Indonesia

Dengan Amerika Serikat Melalui USAID PRIORITAS

Dalam Sektor Pendidikan (2012-2017). Budi Luhur

Journal of Contemporary Diplomacy (BALCONY),

Vol. 2(2), pp. 183-193. https://jom.fisip.budiluhur.ac.id

/index.php/balcony/article/view/95.

Zubaidah. S. 2016. Ketrampilan Abad 21: Ketrampilan

Yang Diajarkan Melalui Pembelajaran. Makalah

Ilmiah. Malang: FMIPA Universitas Negeri Malang.

The Literacy Movement in Labuhanbatu Regency

195