Ajaraksa: Collaboration between HMTL ITB and Pandawara to Educate Middle School Students in Bandung on Waste Management and Ecological Awareness
By Syabina Er Said - Mahasiswa Teknik Dirgantara, 2020
Editor M. Naufal Hafizh, S.S.
BANDUNG, itb.ac.id — Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), through the Environmental Engineering Student Association (Bahasa Indonesia: Himpunan Mahasiswa Teknik Lingkungan, HMTL ITB), has launched an environmental education program called Ajaraksa, a collaborative effort between Agata Sangkara (an Environmental Engineering student class of 2022) and the environmental community Pandawara Group. The program was initiated by Alya Nadhira Surya together with Yafie Suwardika, the Class President of Agata Sangkara. As Vice President of the Class and also the Program Coordinator, Alya led the initiative and played a key role in facilitating the collaboration between HMTL ITB and the Pandawara Group through concrete and sustainable activities.
Ajaraksa is a program specifically designed to foster ecological awareness and sustainable waste management among the younger generation, particularly junior high school students. The second Ajaraksa event was successfully held on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at SMP Negeri 19 Bandung, an Adiwiyata certified school, with enthusiastic support from the school administration, teachers, and students from grades 7 and 8.
The journey of Ajaraksa began with the enthusiasm of Agata Sangkara, who recognized the need for an educational approach in addressing waste management issues at the school level. After several attempts to contact Pandawara without success, she eventually met the Pandawara team in person during a clean-up activity and presented the idea of Ajaraksa. The positive response from Pandawara turned this collaboration into a reality.
The Ajaraksa learning materials were developed using an interactive and contextual approach to ensure accessibility for junior high school students. The educational session focused on four main topics:
1. Waste Sorting Methods: Introducing proper ways to sort waste according to its type;
2. Impact of Unsorted Waste: Raising awareness about the environmental and social consequences of improperly managed waste;
3. The 3R Concept (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle): Explaining each principle in practical terms and highlighting their distinct meanings;
4. Composting Workshop: Teaching the basic principles and simple practices of composting, using organic waste from the government’s Free Nutritious Meal (Bahasa Indonesia: Makan Bergizi Gratis, MBG) program as the main material.
The event took place in an interactive atmosphere, including a hands-on compost-making session led by the students and a talk show with the Pandawara Group discussing the role of youth in protecting the environment.
One of Ajaraksa's innovative initiatives is the Green Ambassador program—environmental ambassadors selected from among the students who will be trained to become agents of change in their respective schools. Although still in development, the long-term goal is for every school to have active Green Ambassadors capable of driving sustainable environmental programs.
The program also collaborates with the Bandung City Environmental Department and the Education Department , representing a synergy between academia, government, and community.
According to Alya Nadhira, the main challenge in environmental education is building new habits, especially among the younger generation. Therefore, Ajaraksa is designed to deliver its content in an enjoyable and relevant way.
“We want to show that waste management can be fun, comfortable, and meaningful. The goal is for students not only to understand, but also to feel motivated to change their behavior,” she said during a Zoom interview on Saturday (May 10, 2025).
With a spirit of collaboration and sustainability, Ajaraksa stands as a concrete example that ITB students are not only capable of responding to national strategic issues but also bringing them into classrooms through impactful educational solutions. Moving forward, the program is expected to expand to more schools in Bandung and other regions across Indonesia.
Reporter: Syabina Er Said (Teknik Dirgantara, 2020)
Translator: Indira Akmalia Hendri (Perencanaan Wilayah dan Kota, 2021)
