Education bill poses problems

Education bill poses problems

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Massive demonstrations for and against the controversial
education bill continued on Friday with warnings that its
endorsement will pose a serious threat to national unity.

In observance of the National Education Day that falls on May
2 annually, thousands of students and teachers in Jakarta and
other cities nationwide hit the streets to express their stances
on the bill.

A group representing a Muslim school strongly urged the House
of Representatives and the government to endorse the bill, while
another, which grouped several Christian and Catholic schools,
expressed their opposition to it. The latter group also warned
that the disparity in the response to the bill reflected upon the
consequences of its endorsement, and that it could endanger the
long-standing national unity.

Around 500 protesters from the West Java Commission on
Education (KPPNJB) in Bandung opposed the bill, saying that it
would threaten the country's pluralistic nature.

"The bill is a potential threat to the country's pluralistic
nature and its freedom, and it neglects the poor's right to
education," Salomo Marbun of the committee said.

In the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, hundreds of Muslim
students marched in opposition to the bill, saying that it
invited imperialists to Indonesia, as it allows foreign
investment in the education sector.

The protesters also said that the bill was undemocratic, as it
failed to accommodate the interests of all groups.

The bill, the endorsement of which has been delayed for
technical reasons, has sparked sharp criticisms and strong
opposition from numerous groups for several contentious articles.

For example, Article 13 of the bill requires all schools to
provide religious instruction to students according to the
students' respective faiths, no matter the denomination of the
school.

Christian and Catholic schools, their students and teachers
have expressed their objection to the bill, which they said would
threaten national unity. They accepted the fact that all citizens
have a right to religious education, but they disagreed with
educational institutions being given the responsibility.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri has maintained her silence on
the controversial education bill that has caused a heated polemic
among the people.

Attending the celebration of National Education Day at an
elementary school in Subang, West Java, on Friday, Megawati gave
no comments on the issue, but insisted on the importance of
religious instruction or ethics in the curriculum to
counterbalance the other sciences.

"Education should provide a balance between intellectual
capability, and emotional and spiritual maturity, which should
begin with studying religious and moral values," Megawati said in
her address at the celebration.

The President also spoke with students of Angkasa elementary
school, where the ceremony was held, asking them about the
country's founding president Sukarno, her father.

Responding to the continuing protests, Minister for Religious
Affairs Said Agil Munawar called on all sides to sit together to
discuss the bill, saying that the bill was final, but that the
government would provide special religion instructors.

Meanwhile, eight youth organizations of different
denominations, as well as a nationalist organization, said in a
joint statement on Friday that education should be based on the
nationally accepted principle of religious pluralism.

"The bill, which lacks a clear vision on national education,
will only raise antipluralism among students and finally cause
national disintegration," they warned.

The bill has also raised debate among religious figures,
education experts and politicians. The bill has won support from
hard-line Muslim groups, but it has sparked strong opposition
from non-Muslim communities and moderate Muslim groups, who said
it could pose a serious threat to the religious harmony toward
which all religions had worked for many years.

Education expert Conny Semiawan also warned that an anti-
pluralistic bill could create social and religious disparity in
society, because its implementation would likely cause
antipluralism among students and religious communities.

"Such a split may happen, and it's very bad for our
multicultural country to be trapped in such a situation.
Education should unite a country, not split it," Conny told The
Jakarta Post.

She further underlined the importance for all parties to once
again gather and discuss the bill.

Earlier on Thursday, Megawati's party, the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), rejected the bill,
saying that it violated the amended 1945 Constitution.