Globalization of education should promote diversity

Eko Budihardjo, Semarang

I have just finished reading a book by Jennifer Washburn, University Inc: The Corporate Corruption of American Higher Education (Basic Books, N.Y., 2005). Washburn clearly shows how institutes of higher education over the last few years have come to see students more as customers, and education and research as products they are compelled to sell. She states that the intrusion of market ideology into the heart of academia poses a very serious threat to the human race.

In a bilateral forum among rectors of various universities in Indonesia and their colleagues from the United States, which was titled the "International Conference on Higher Education Partnerships: Future Directions" and was held at the University of Indonesia in March 2005, a resolve emerged from both sides on "Establishing new grounds for cooperative efforts between the two educational systems of the two countries for the sake of humanity and civilization".

The United States can obviously point to its sophisticated science and technology, but when it comes to culture, Indonesia is undoubtedly much richer and more diverse.

An equal partnership between Indonesian and overseas higher education institutes is something that is bound to happen. On my recent visit as the rector of Diponegoro University, along with a large group of deans, to seven universities in the U.S., I observed that most of the universities there maintain international programs and are very enthusiastic about forming partnerships. They were astonished to learn that Indonesia consists of 17,504 islands and more than 300 ethnic groups, along with their various local languages.

On the other hand, our group was astounded by the fact that California State University (CSU) in Fresno possesses a huge farm complete with processing plants producing such things as milk and ice cream, which products are then exported abroad and provide the cornerstone for the university's funding.

On our visit to CSU in San Diego, we found that part of the university's funding comes from the university-owned teaching hospital. At Nevada University, with its strategic location near the heart of Las Vegas' tourist attractions, university-owned hotels and restaurants have been established. Aside from their obvious uses as places where students can serve internships (especially those who major in tourism and hotel management), they also welcome external guests. The five-star Marriott Hotel was built inside the CSU Fullerton campus based on a Build- Operate-Transfer arrangement. We found that every university has its own unique and cutting-edge programs, which also help fund them.

In his newly published book, The Next Global Stage: Challenge and Opportunities in Our Borderless World (2005), Kenichi Ohmae discusses globalization. To be able to succeed we must engage in global trading by putting forward our local distinctiveness. The in-vogue term for this is "Globalization with local flavor".

Through closer partnerships between universities in Indonesia and the United States, we will be able to reap multiple benefits. On the one hand, the perspectives of both sides will be broadened and enriched, while on the other hand, each side's own uniqueness and advantages will come to be better understood so that they will be capable of being further developed. This is why the Indonesian Rectors Forum is adamant in its rejection of the idea that education be categorized as a service commodity -- as it is by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the General Agreement on Trade in Services.

Once education is categorized as a service commodity, the rich pearls of local culture and wisdom will disappear. This would be a great loss for the entire human race.

Universities in Indonesia must be ready to compete, not just as between the state universities, as between the private universities, or as between the state and private universities, but also with overseas universities. However, this competition should be friendly in nature and be designed to enhance quality. In other words, it should be based on friendly rivalry. The Triple C approach espoused by Kenichi Ohmae, namely, Competitors, Company, Customers, should be supplemented by Cooperation, Competency, Communication and Commitment, to make Seven Cs in total.

Once again learning from our visit to various universities in the U.S., we noticed a tendency for everyone to be involved in some degree of competition but at the same time to also work together. The privately owned University of Southern California is involved in tight rivalry with the public University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), but both also share or exchange assets and resources.

Thus, it is high time that partnerships between universities in Indonesia and the U.S. be developed further, starting right now, especially given the fact that the government of the United States under President George W. Bush is offering US$457 million to be put toward educational programs in Indonesia (15 percent of which is to go to higher education).

If we want to avoid Indonesian universities being winners only at the local level, we well have to open up, move outward, and show the diversity of our higher education.

Let us ponder on the mischievous poem by Remy Silado (with a bit of improvisation) which depicts diversity: The blue of the sea means depth/the blue of the sky means height/the blue of the blood means aristocracy/the blue of the lips means cold/the blue of a movie means sex.

The same color of blue is capable of giving rise to various interpretations. Let us hope that the globalization of higher education will be able to create an amazing mosaic of diversity, rather than leading to infuriating uniformity.

The writer is rector of Diponegoro University and Honorary chairman of the Indonesian Rectors Forum. He can be reached at ekob@engineer.com.