Will Galileo tragedy be repeated in education bill?

Benny Susetyo, Inter-faith Communication Forum, Malang, East Java

The education bill which will be reportedly passed on June 10 contains more political than pedagogical content. It is deplorable that the basic paradigm of education -- the molding of a free and independent individuals -- is not contained in the education system suggested by this bill.

Its contents are largely unrelated to education, which needs clear measurement tools to measure quality. The measurements have been reduced to a narrow understanding of "faith and piety". As if all our problems can be washed away with faith and piety -- never mind that the quality of our education is among the lowest even among Southeast Asian countries, precisely because political interests have entered the sphere of education.

Such political interests have led to the fact that education has become merely a set of doctrines to be memorized and adhered to, without the capacity to make students mature, to make them able to think critically. Education has become separate from reality because it has only involved the memorizing of things that must be adhered to, later confirmed in the cultural environment. Instead of teaching students to develop analytical thinking, they are only taught formulas which are portrayed as being absolutely true.

Hence students become robots designed by remote control under the ideology of power. This reality is strongly reflected in the current education bill; the concept provides for wide-ranging state intervention to regulate education. In the creation of a sound educational system, the state only needs to provide the fundamentals.

The bill does not provide us with a clear paradigm of education regarding the molding of humane individuals with a commitment to continuous learning. The strong impression one gets is that this bill is not about education; it is more about religious nuances. Where are the students being led when education is reduced to unclear religious interests?

The orientation of an educational concept should be intellectuality, while the business of faith and piety is that of the family and religious institutions. The parameters or measurements of a good education are that a student can calculate and read accurately; can communicate effectively; has logical abilities, and becomes a humane individual.

On the other hand, measuring "faith and piety" relates to an individual's relations with God, and is therefore nearly impossible. One's faith and piety is one's private business and in this regard one is accountable to God, not the state. The state only regulates positive law.

When education is imbued with strong religious content, the result will be a fragmented student population which has no comprehensive understanding of intellectuality. The products of this will tend to be irrational in facing problems, and will rely more on religious fanaticism.

The result will be a rebirth of the habit of dismissing, or killing intellectual works -- such as in the case of Galileo in the Middle Ages. When religiosity dominates public live and all things are oriented to this role of religion, rationality is no longer appreciated.

Galileo was a victim of this. Will we see a similar case in Indonesia?

So as the bill is in the process of being passed, there is an urgent need to review the concept of an educational system that really meets the challenges of our times, based on a philosophy of education which refers to the process of freeing students from the chains of doctrine, narrow understandings of religion, and feigned adherence to such doctrines. Education must be a continuous learning process which tirelessly drives towards intellectuality.

Decision makers should respond wisely to this problem. As the Islamic scholar Nurcholish Madjid said, the passing of the education bill should be delayed because its quality is still questionable. What is important is not winning or losing in the passing of the bill, but rather what is at stake -- the future of the nation.

We must update our views on education and religion. If we reject the intervention of the state in religious affairs, we should also reject all attempts that the state makes to try to gain such authority indirectly. If we agree that education frees human beings, then we should be aware that our religious education so far has instead chained us and produced narrow- minded individuals.

Our education has failed to mold student morality that respects plurality; many of our students may have been successful in making something of themselves, but many have little respect to others.