More groups join the chorus against education bill<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
More groups in the archipelago joined North Sulawesi's move on
\nFriday to reject the newly endorsed education bill by filing a
\npetition for a judicial review with the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
The East Java-based Indonesian Education Watch (IEW) has
\nplanned to also file a petition for a judicial review against the
\nbill.<\/p>\n
"Our colleagues from North Sulawesi have initiated the
\njudicial review against the bill, and we will follow them on it,"
\nIEW chairwoman Anita Lie told Antara.<\/p>\n
Anita said although the bill had been changed several times,
\nthe revisions were not substantial.<\/p>\n
Moreover, the bill, bearing the spirit of centralization, was
\na contradiction to the Regional Autonomy Law and the concept of
\nschool-based education, which reflects decentralization, she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Religious leaders and principals of private schools from Papua
\nmet Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday to voice their objections to
\nthe controversial bill.<\/p>\n
The Papuan delegation comprises religious leaders and school
\nprincipals of the Protestant, Catholic, Islamic, Hindu, and
\nBuddhist faiths.<\/p>\n
"They raised questions on a number of articles which were
\nrejected because they could inflict losses to the people of the
\nnation," noted priest Herman Awom said.<\/p>\n
Christian leaders from Papua, North Sulawesi, Maluku and East
\nNusa Tenggara also agreed to voice their demands to separate from
\nIndonesia if the bill disrupted the Christian education system.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the North Sulawesi administration said that it would
\nfile a petition for a judicial review with the Supreme Court as
\npart of its campaign against the bill.<\/p>\n
The move has gained support from the North Sumatra provincial
\nlegislature, some municipalities and a group of concerned
\ncitizens.<\/p>\n
Another group whose members come from various Christian-
\nmajority provinces in the country has also rejected the bill.<\/p>\n
The bill was endorsed in the absence of the largest faction,
\nthe Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), on
\nWednesday evening.<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri has 30 days in which to sign
\nthe bill, but even if she fails to sign it within that period, it
\nwill automatically go into effect.<\/p>\n
In theory, Megawati, the chairwoman of PDI Perjuangan, can
\nblock the bill by refusing to sign the necessary government
\nregulations to implement it.<\/p>\n
Anita went on to say that in addition to rejecting the bill,
\nthe IEW would also monitor the drafting of the government
\nregulations for implementing the bill.<\/p>\n
The bill requires 10 government regulations.<\/p>\n
"Either the bill or the government regulations will just add
\nto the problems because our aspirations have not been
\naccommodated," she said.<\/p>\n
Arguments for and against the bill center on the government's
\nintervention in education and the requirement for schools to
\nprovide religious instruction for students according to their
\nrespective faiths.<\/p>\n
Many private Christian schools have large numbers of Muslim
\nstudents and there is apparently fear among Muslims that those
\nstudents may be converted away from Islam.<\/p>\n
However, the Christian groups see the stipulation as a state
\nintervention into private education institutions.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/more-groups-join-the-chorus-against-education-bill-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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