The digital era has brought major changes to various aspects of life, including in the world of education. One of the main challenges that has emerged is how to shape the character of the younger generation amidst the flow of information that is so fast, free, and uncontrolled. The negative influence of social media, the decline in direct social interaction, and weak control over digital content consumed by students are serious obstacles in the implementation of character education. This article discusses these challenges while offering strategies that can be implemented by educators, parents, and educational institutions. The strategies outlined include the wise integration of technology in character learning, strengthening the role of the family as the first and foremost educational environment, and the importance of role models and consistency of moral values in everyday life. Through an adaptive, collaborative, and sustainable approach, character education can remain the foundation in forming a generation that is not only intellectually intelligent, but also has integrity, responsibility, and noble character in the digital era.

 
The essentialist school of philosophy is a school of philosophy that wants humans to return to their old culture. The emergence of this ideology was a reaction to the absolute and dogmatic symbolism of the Middle Ages. In this way, a systematic and comprehensive concept regarding humans and the universe is formed that is in accordance with the needs of the times. This essentialism assumes that education based on the core belief in flexibility in all its forms can produce views that are easily changed, easily swayed, directionless, and less stable. Therefore, education must be based on values that are stable, proven, long-term, and have values that enable a country's education to remain stable and focused. The aim of the essentialist educational philosophy is to improve the character of society through existing cultural heritage, so that later students can contribute to improving social life in the face of changing times that can damage character values. The purpose of this paper is to examine the philosophy of essentialism from the perspective of Islamic education using library research methods. Based on the research results, it is stated that essentialist schools have a view of the field of education, namely educational goals, educational curriculum, educators, students and the environment. Apart from that, there are several views that can be used as measuring tools and should be taken seriously. These are the ontological view, epistemological view and axiomatic view.

Education aims to help students become more independent and critical in the process of discovering their own identity. Participatory education is a relevant approach that allows students to actively participate in the thinking process. The philosophy of educational progressivism pioneered by John Dewey reflects much of this approach. According to progressivism, education should be student-centered by emphasizing hands-on experience to teach and build critical thinking skills. Relevant works on progressivism and Dewey's concept of education are investigated in this qualitative research. The results show that the idea of progressivism is strongly related to Indonesia's national education goal, which is to create innovative, independent, and flexible students. A student-centered curriculum and a supportive education system are needed to implement this theory.

This research examines Al-Ghazali's thoughts in shaping the character of student independence through an educational approach. As one of the important figures in the world of Islamic education, besides concentrating on academics, Al-Ghazali proposed an educational approach that emphasizes the development of strong character. Finding out how Al-Ghazali's education helps students become independent is the driving force for this research as well as its application to the current educational context. The research method is a literature review by analyzing Al-Ghazali's relevant works, such as Ihya Ulumuddin and Mizan al-'Amal. The findings show that there are four main components of education as proposed by Al-Ghazali: moral development, inculcation of religious values, learning life skills, and individual independence. These findings are relevant to the challenges of modern education, especially in the effort to form independent and moral students. Educators can look to the results of this study as a resource in designing a curriculum that facilitates students' self-reliance in a holistic manner.

The application of the philosophy of progressive education within the Merdeka Curriculum aims to create a more student-centered education system that encourages active and contextual learning. Progressivism emphasizes the importance of hands-on experiences and the development of critical thinking skills through real projects and discussions. In the context of the Merdeka Curriculum, this approach allows students to explore their interests and talents more independently, with teachers acting as facilitators guiding the learning process. Through project-based learning, collaboration, and authentic assessment, the Merdeka Curriculum provides students with the opportunity to explore their interests and talents. This research identifies various strategies that educators can adopt to integrate the principles of progressivism, such as using active learning methods and allowing freedom in choosing learning materials. The implementation of the progressive philosophy presents several challenges, including teachers' readiness to adopt new roles, the need to adjust the curriculum to local contexts, and the availability of adequate resources. However, this application also offers significant opportunities to enhance the quality of education by producing graduates who are more adaptive, creative, and capable of solving complex problems. This study highlights how the application of progressive philosophy in the Merdeka Curriculum can increase student motivation, develop 21st-century skills, and prepare them for future challenges. Therefore, it is essential to continuously evaluate and develop this approach to align with the evolving times and national educational needs.