Hardiknas, the abbreviation of Hari Pendidikan Nasional (National Education Day), is celebrated annually in Indonesia every 2 May. In line with this moment, I Want To Smell the Perfume (IWTSTP) has a chance in interviewing a lecturer who is passionate to educate her students to live in balance with the environment.

Ida Nuramdhani, a lecturer of polytechnic college in Bandung (STTT Bandung), told us that she has already fallen in love with teaching since she was still in junior high school. At that time, her strong passion for education encouraged her to create a kindergarten. Now, it’s been 19 years for her working as a lecturer on the subjects related to the applied science on chemistry and its technology in the industry, notably on the green and sustainable dye. In the beginning, she gained her interest in those issues because she had to teach the use of natural and synthetic dyes. However, as the time passed, she began to realize that all things that she had done were only related to practical knowledge, whereas in Indonesia, there are a bunch of things that she could analyse and develop as her ancestors had used it in the ancient era. Thus, she started to have a mission to gain more knowledge which led her to study in New Zealand and Belgium. 

According to Ida, her profession is not only for teaching but also for conducting research which is useful and beneficial for the community without destroying the environment. It is her way as an educator to convey a message that, “We have to come back to our environment, using something natural, and protect it as well by not exploiting it excessively. That’s why I am responsible for introducing the knowledge related to the eco-friendly process towards my students because they are the future generation who will be the key persons in the manufacturing industry.”

She also added that the education system should be integrated to build awareness upon the environment starting from the elementary school because it could be difficult to give a new value when they have been adults. “When they are studying at the university level, those values and awareness have become the foundations, they just develop the technology and knowledge related to those issues. At the end, in the community, they will be ready to implement it.”

Written by : Ratnasari N.