Discipline essential for ISI

Discipline essential for ISI

Two articles side-by-side in The Jakarta Post on Friday, Dec.
5 caught my eye. The first announced that Dr. Made Bandem has
been inaugurated as the new rector of the Institut Seni Indonesia
(Indonesian Arts Institute, or ISI) in Yogyakarta. I was pleased
to read of that as Dr. Bandem has a worldwide reputation as a
music scholar. His contribution on Balinese music to the New
Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, for example, is a model
of concise discourse backed up by evidence and immense knowledge.
But Dr. Bandem also wears another hat; he is a member of the
People's Consultative Assembly, and his experiences there will be
invaluable in the administration of Indonesia's premier arts
institution.

Dr. Bandem's skills are sorely needed. The second article
reported that of 12 courses offered by ISI seven have lost their
accreditation with the National Accreditation Board. I am not at
all surprised that over 50 percent of the courses were considered
to be below standard. Five years ago I was a visiting professor
at the Western Music department of ISI, so I have first hand
experience. Any cataloging of mismanagement, dubious dealings and
lack of discipline of the poorly paid staff I encountered there
would be both pointless and boring to your readers. But one
telling anecdote will suffice.

Five minutes before I was due to give a lesson, my immediate
superior asked to see me about some minor administrative matter.
I was greeted warmly and asked to sit down and have tea. I
thanked him, but pointed out I had to give a composition lesson
to a student in five minutes. This he ignored, the tea was
brought and we pursued our discussion. Ten minutes later I was
edgy; I had previously impressed upon all my students the need
for discipline, especially in timekeeping ("Who will
employ you if you turn up late for rehearsals?") and here I was
already very late for a lesson. Another 10 minutes went by; the
conversation was not important and by now had gone off on a
tangent. I summoned up the courage to differ with my superior,
"I'm very sorry Doctor, but I must go. I am already very late for
a lesson." He waved his hand airily. "Oh! don't worry." He said
in English. "It's only a student."

And there you have the crux of the problem. I am sure ISI is
not alone in Indonesian Higher Education for not being student
based. Whilst you have top-heavy institutions which seem to exist
solely for the advantage of the staff and not for the benefit of
the students, Indonesia's worldwide reputation for learning will
suffer and students will be discontent.

I wish Dr. Bandem well in his new position. I hope he gets the
support he needs to ensure ISI will again be the great
institution it once was, and no longer suffer the ignominy of
having seven of its courses supervised by the Ministry of
Education and Culture.

ROBERT WALKER

Amlapura, Bali