in Education in Indonesia: Perspectives, Politics and Practices, edited by Rommel A. Curaming and Frank Dhont, published by FIS Press in 2012

 

Indonesia's 1945 Constitution mandates the government to devote one-fifth of its annual budget to education. From its earliest inception, the value of knowledge and the importance of the transfer of knowledge to the success of an independent Indonesia was recognized and encapsulated in the founding documents of the nation. On 27-28 June, 2011 a group of international and local scholars gathered in Yogyakarta, Indonesia for the Fourth International Indonesia Forum, which was jointly sponsored by Yale University. The Forum revolved around the theme Enriching Future Generations: Education Promoting Indonesian Self-Development and it addressed a wide range of questions such as the following: What constitutes knowledge? What system of education is beneficial for people from various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds? What should the goals of state-directed education be? In what ways can scholars inform a dialogue that furthers Indonesia to meet the challenges faced by future generations? How should varied sources of knowledge, beyond formal and state-directed sources, be legitimated and promoted? What different layers or sets of knowledge and skills are needed for Indonesian youth and educators to confront the ongoing challenges? In short, what are some of the factors that have to be considered in understanding the educational perspectives, politics and practices in contemporary Indonesia?

Bibliographical references:

• Seise, Claudia. 2012. „What Happens After Class? The Islamic Concepts and Values of Iman, Ihsan, Al-Haya, Imam and Umma in Indonesian Pesantren”, Rommel A. Curaming and Frank Dhont (eds), Education in Indonesia: Perspectives, Politics and Practices, Karangmalang: FIS Press, pp. 151-179.