Sosialisasi Pentingnya Pendidikan dalam Upaya Meningkatkan Kesadaran Siswa di MA Syamsul Ma’arif Desa Kebonmanggu

The low awareness of students at MA Syamsul Ma’arif, Kebonmanggu Village, regarding the importance of higher education is the main focus of this community service program. Tilaar (2000) emphasizes that education is a strategic instrument in shaping independent and competitive human resources, while Psacharopoulos and Patrinos (2018) state that higher education has a direct correlation with increased income and social mobility. However, most students at MA Syamsul Ma’arif tend to choose to work in the industrial sector immediately after graduation. As Darmaningtyas (2004) explains, economic pressure, limited access to educational information, and weak social support are the main obstacles to continuing education. To address this issue, the program was carried out through socialization activities using lectures, discussions, and Q&A sessions, evaluated with pre-test and post-test methods. The results showed a significant improvement: students’ understanding of the urgency of higher education increased by 63.5%, knowledge of entry pathways and scholarships by 65.9%, and motivation to pursue further studies by 64%. These findings indicate that the socialization program was effective in raising students’ awareness of the importance of higher education and can serve as a replicable model for other regions, particularly in industrial-based areas.