Liberalization in education: A threat or a necessity<\/p>\n
Rudijanto, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Domestic universities and other tertiary education
\ninstitutions may feel threatened by the liberalization of
\neducation as proposed by the World Trade Organization in the
\nframework of the General Agreement on Trade Services (GATS),
\nwhich will allow for the operation of foreign universities in
\nIndonesia, but the demand for quality education continues to
\ngrow.<\/p>\n
Last December, in a meeting with the House of Representatives,
\nthe Indonesian Dean's Forum (FRI) appealed to the legislature to
\nprevent the planned liberalization of the education sector,
\nparticularly because the agreement on trade services did not
\ninvolve officials from the education department or any education
\ninstitution.<\/p>\n
Representing state-run and private universities and other
\ntertiary education institutions in Indonesia, the FRI has
\nrepeatedly voiced concerns over the inclusion of education in
\nGATS. The deans strongly rejected the classification of education
\nas a national commodity to be included in GATS.<\/p>\n
Some countries, including the U.S. and Australia, are
\ninsisting that higher education should be included in the WTO
\nunder the framework of GATS. This framework constitutes a
\nmultilateral agreement that includes trade in services, covering
\nservices in education.<\/p>\n
Far from being a tradable commodity, the FRI considers
\neducation as having a noble value in maintaining and developing
\nthe nation's civilization and culture. Having this noble
\ncharacter, the deans believe that education is every nation's
\nrespective responsibility and has to be taken care of by an
\nauthority appointed by the respective countries.<\/p>\n
However, the demand for quality education is growing in
\nIndonesia. That is why the deans grouped in FRI also realized
\nthat they could not reject the advent of international education
\nwithout sacrificing the quality of the country's education.<\/p>\n
The quality of the country's university and academy level
\neducation has been a concern. Of over 1,700 domestic universities
\nand other tertiary education institutions, only a few are good
\nquality, particularly those operating in big cities, such as
\nJakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Semarang and Surabaya.<\/p>\n
Other universities and tertiary education institutions,
\nparticularly private ones in towns and regencies, allegedly offer
\nbelow-standard education. For instance, there are around 384
\nprivately run universities, institutes and academies in West Java
\nand Banten, but some of them do not have lecturers who hold
\nmaster's degrees.<\/p>\n
Only 60 percent of the lecturers in bigger universities,
\ninstitutes and academies have master's degrees while the number
\nof lecturers with master's degrees reaches only 40 percent in
\nsome other universities. For tertiary education institutes, the
\nabsence of lecturers with master's degrees or doctorates is
\nsimply a disaster for the nation's education sector.<\/p>\n
One wonders about the implications of \"protecting\" the country
\nfrom the education offered by high-quality foreign education
\ninstitutions, just in order to protect domestic universities of
\ndoubtful quality.<\/p>\n
Principal of Gandhi Institute of Business & Technology (GIBT)
\nMichael J Goodwin said that there are far too few international
\nschools to threaten the existence of national schools.<\/p>\n
\"The GBIT is an international college that offers an
\nalternative for those who can afford to attend and who recognize
\nthe benefits and advantages that an internationally recognized
\nqualification will give in this increasingly global world,\" says
\nGoodwin.<\/p>\n
The same opinion is expressed by the marketing manager of
\nGandhi Institute of Business & Technology (GIBT), Tirza, who said
\nthat, instead of feeling threatened by the operation of foreign
\nuniversities, local universities could learn something positive
\nfrom foreign curricula.<\/p>\n
\"Foreign curricula is normally designed in a very practical
\nway and takes into account the needs of employers. Thus, it is
\neasier for our graduates to get jobs,\" said Tirza.<\/p>\n
Swiss German University and the GIBT are two examples of
\ninstitutes of higher learning that are applying foreign-based
\ncurricula. GIBT started its S1-level education two years ago,
\noffering Australian degrees from New South Wales' Charles Sturt
\nUniversity in business studies, IT and marketing and
\ncommunications.<\/p>\n
Later this year, the GIBT will offer degree courses in plant
\nbiotechnology and in food science. Like the GIBT, the SGU's
\ncurriculum tends to be very practical with internships in
\nIndonesian companies available for third-semester students and in
\nGermany for sixth-semester students.<\/p>\n
Some established national universities have actually started
\ntheir own double degree programs in partnership with foreign
\nuniversities. For instance, Jakarta-based Trisakti University
\nruns an international-class program in cooperation with the
\nfaculty of business at Edith Cowan University (ECU), Perth,
\nWestern Australia.<\/p>\n
The program is recognized by ECU and is equivalent to ECU's
\nBBA full-time program in Australia. Students who graduate from
\nthis program can continue their studies in ECU's Master of
\nBusiness Administration program conducted in Perth.<\/p>\n
Not only private universities but state-owned universities,
\nsuch as the University of Indonesia (UI), also offer double
\ndegree programs. In cooperation with the University of Queensland
\n(UQ) in Brisbane, Australia, UI offers both a BA in psychology
\nfrom UQ and the S.Psi degree from UI.<\/p>\n
Double degree programs appear to be the answer for some
\nIndonesians who want to receive an international-standard
\neducation without leaving the country. The double degree programs
\nare also much cheaper than studying overseas.<\/p>\n
It is not only foreign universities and other third level
\ninstitutes that are interested in coming to Indonesia. Many
\nforeign elementary and high schools are also interested in
\nsetting up shop here. One of these is the Singapore-based PSB
\nSchool, which is planning to start classes in 2006 in Jakarta's
\nKelapa Gading area.<\/p>\n
However, PSB School will start enrolling students in the
\nmiddle of this year. The founder of Singapore PSB, Osman Aman,
\nsaid that the school has strategic alliances with renowned
\ntertiary institutions in Australia, the US and the UK.<\/p>\n
\"Students graduating from our school are eligible for
\nadmission to various international tertiary institutions,
\nincluding the University of Western Australia, the US-based San
\nDiego University, and the UK-based University of Cambridge,\" says
\nAman.<\/p>\n
Some Indonesians may be concerned about the liberalization of
\nthe education sector under the WTO. However, the interest of
\nlocal students in enrolling in local schools and universities
\nthat apply foreign curricula or a joint curriculum with an
\noverseas institution sends a strong signal that there is
\nsomething seriously wrong with the curricula being applied in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
The fact that none of the country's universities were included
\nin the list of the 20 best universities in Asia drawn up by
\nAsiaweek magazine should send a clear message to the education
\nsector.<\/p>\n
Local students would have no reason to enroll in programs
\noffering foreign curricula if Indonesian universities were
\ncapable of providing an education of an equal standard.<\/p>",
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