Education bill has many defect, says PDI-P faction<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)
\nfaction called for a revision of the controversial national
\neducation bill on Thursday, arguing that the draft still had many
\nshortcomings.<\/p>\n
\"The bill has many articles that are not completely clear,
\nwhich need to be dealt with,\" said PDI Perjuangan legislator Hari
\nAkhmadi, a member of the House of Representatives (DPR)
\nCommission VI for education.<\/p>\n
He said several articles in the bill were no better than
\narticles in the current Law No. 2\/1989 that the draft was
\nsupposed to replace.<\/p>\n
\"If the revision is not better than the old one, it should be
\nrevised\" said Hari.<\/p>\n
All factions but PDI Perjuangan have thrown their support
\nbehind the controversial bill which the House plans to endorse on
\nMay 20, which is National Awakening Day.<\/p>\n
Hari particularly pointed at the bill's Article 25 on academic
\nfreedom.<\/p>\n
\"The bill only outlines academic freedom for lecturers, not
\nfor students, while the existing law (No. 2\/1989) regulates
\nacademic freedom for both lecturers and students,\" he told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
\"We've received a lot of input from the public, including from
\nformer education minister Fuad Hassan, who told us that the bill
\nstill had many unresolved issues,\" said Hari.<\/p>\n
\"We do not want to endorse a bill that will not be enacted
\ninto law later on,\" said Hari, citing Law No. 32\/2002 on
\nbroadcasting which was endorsed late last year but will not take
\neffect until 2005.<\/p>\n
Most recent debates on the bill have revolved around Article
\n13, which requires all schools to provide religious lessons to
\nstudents according to their respective faiths.<\/p>\n
The bill has been the subject of heated debates among
\nreligious figures, education experts and politicians. As a
\nresult, the discourse only focuses on the religious issue instead
\nof the substance of the bill, which is supposed to improve the
\nmuch-criticized education system.<\/p>\n
While it has won support from hard-line Muslim groups, the
\nbill has drawn strong opposition from non-Muslim communities and
\nmoderate Muslim groups.<\/p>\n
Ulil Absar Abdala, a moderate Muslim scholar, told the Post on
\nWednesday that there were many other religious lessons available
\nfrom sources outside of school that could contribute more to
\nsomeone's religious life.<\/p>\n
\"A Muslim studying in a non-Muslim school does not always have
\nto end up with a conversion to another religion, or vice versa,\"
\nUlil said.<\/p>\n
Golkar faction chairman Marzuki Achmad said on Thursday that
\nthe bill had reached its final stage and no substantial revision
\nwould be needed.<\/p>\n
The Nation Awakening Party faction (FPKB) and the United
\nDevelopment Party faction (FPPP) also stated their support
\nearlier to endorse the bill as is.<\/p>\n
Asked about the date for endorsing the bill, both Hari and
\nMarzuki said it should not necessarily be on May 20 as set
\nearlier by the House commission deliberating the bill.<\/p>\n
\"The official schedule for the endorsement is June 17,\" said
\nMarzuki. Hari said that it would still be acceptable if the
\nendorsement took place after the scheduled date.<\/p>\n
\"Our major goal is to have a solid law, instead of merely
\nbeating the deadline for endorsement,\" said Hari.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/education-bill-has-many-defect-says-pdi-p-faction-1447893297",
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