MLC Conference Paper

Breeding the Peace Bearers:

The (Protestant) Christian Higher Education In Indonesia

Written and presented by
Rev. Dr. Robert P. Borrong
(Jakarta Theological Seminary)
&
Rev. Dr. Zakaria J. Ngelow
(Eastern Indonesia Theological Seminary Makassar)

Preliminary Remarks: Negative Images

Unfinished socio-political reformation
Economic-crisis with so huge foreign debts
Corrupted country (second to-?)
Unemployment and low-quality workers: domestic women workers abroad, illegal workers
Communal/ethnic/religious conflict
Terrorist haven
Education? The lowest HR index

Indonesia: Some Data

13,670 islands; extends approx 3,200 miles (5,100 km) from west to east and 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from north to south.
Population (1999 est.) 206.143.000 (70% in Java)
Religious affiliation (1990): Muslim 87.2%; Christian 9.6%, of which Roman Catholic 3.6%; Hindu 1.8%; Buddhist 1.0%; other 0.4%.
Educational Attainment (1990)
Percentage of population age 25 and over having: no schooling 34.6%; less than complete primary 28.2%; primary 23.3%; secondary 12.5%; higher 1.4%.
Literacy (1995 est.): total population age 15 and over literate 83.8%; males literate 89.6%; females literate 78.0%.

History 1

Christianity of Nestorianism was reached Indonesian archipelago since 7^th century, but the modern Indonesian Christian was dated to Portuguese Roman Catholic arrival in 16^th century.
Modern Indonesian Christianity consists of Roman Catholics, Reformed Protestantism (of Dutch Calvinism), and American Christians (Pentacontals, Adventist, etc).
Protestantism is divided into ecumenical and evangelical camps.
History 2
Modern missionary in Indonesia since 19^th century was involved in introducing western education,
but the only higher education before independence was the Theological Seminary in Bogor (near Jakarta, now STT JAKARTA) in 1934.
Early Christian Colleges and Universities were founded in the 1950’s.
Christians belong to the few intellectuals in the first decade of independence.
Vision and Mission
Vision of CHE in Indonesia is that in 2020 all potential Indonesian Christians get good quality education to become a self-reliance, creative, and innovative citizen.
Its mission are developing good leadership with quality of academic and professional, spirituality of socio-humanism solidarity, and in that way participate in reshaping new world, and supporting realization of church unity in Indonesia. (BKPTKI 1996)

Structure & Kind: Number

There are 22 Christian Universities / Colleges in Indonesia members of Coordination Board of Indonesia Christian Higher Education (BKPTKI), 6 universities with theological faculty.
There are 2 layers of coordination board of Chr education institutions in Indonesia: BKPTKI (since 1958), and Coordination Board of Chr Education Institutions covered Primary to High Chr Schools, BKPTKI, Theol. Schools associations, and non-formal Chr education institutions (founded 1989).

Theological Seminaries

There are more than 100 theological seminaries; 29 seminaries (covered up to 70% of students) members of PERSETIA (Association of Theological Schools in Indonesia).
Some are members of PASTI (evangelical association) or PERSATPIM (Pentacostal association).
Relation to government is affiliation either to Ministry of National Education or to Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Some theological seminaries training teachers for Christian education.

Structure & Kind: Location

Majority of the 22 members of BKPTKI are located in Java (14, 6 in Jakarta) with relative better facilities. 8 in outer islands (3 universities in Sulawesi).
Most of the seminaries are located in Java.
The seminaries are belong to respective supporting churches.
One university with its faculty of theology was burned and 2 other were closed temporarily in the recent conflict of communities in eastern Indonesia region.

Structure & Kind: Quality

Generally the quality of higher education in Indonesia is low, included the Christians’.
It relates to insufficient of campus facilities (incl. Library and laboratory), the low number and quality of faculty members, financial shortages, and management problems.
But a few number of Ch. Universities belong to the best in the country, such as Univ. Pelita Harapan in Jakarta and Univ. Petra in Surabaya. Roman Catholic has some seminaries and relative good quality universities. So does Adventist’s.

Supporting Communities

Christian colleges and universities in Indonesia was founded and supported either by church(es) institutionally or by Christians private foundations.
There are few state colleges for training Christian religious educators.
Polarization between conservative evangelical and ecumenical streams in Indonesian Christianity weakened the mission of the Ch. education in the country

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths: good number of institutions, the size of student body, located in Java with better infrastructure facilities, spreading all over the country, contextual orientation,
Weaknesses: lack of financial support, lesser in the field of science and technology (concentrated more in social sciences), low education quality, etc

Opportunities and Challenges: Confessional

Christians’ colleges and universities as well as the other religions’ are granted the right to teach its respective religion to all students (incl. non-Christians) as unique character of the institute.
There is now a discourse to teach student of her/his respective religion in any religion’s education institute.
What is the goal and content of religious teaching in the higher education? Should not it be academic teaching of all religions rather than just catechetical?

Opportunities and Challenges: Political

Politically, the government gives right to all religious communities to participate in all levels and forms of education.
Recently the government ruled out the discrimination between state and private colleges and universities by applying the same accreditation standards of National Accreditation Board.

Opportunities and Challenges: Economic

The recent multi-dimensional crises of Indonesia causes inability of education institutions to provide facilities for better education quality.
The fast development of science and technology required higher cost to attain good quality.
On the other hand, there are more students enter colleges or universities in spite of its expensive cost.

Opportunities and Challenges: Educational

The increased number of student enrollment is a good opportunity for the CHE institutes to serve the country.
But next to economic crises is the low quality of education at the basic and middle levels.
CHE should fight the tendencies of commercializing education and of tolerating its low quality.

Other Issues: ICT

Information and communication Technology (ICT) is very important for the CHE to improve its quality by share the learning resources with more developed institutions.
A network of CHE via internet or other ICT facilities should be developed at national and international level.

Other Issues: Contextual Theology

Theological seminaries (members of PERSETIA) are working for an Indonesian contextual theology in the sense of cultural expressions and option for social changes.
The three interconnected problems of plurality, poverty and peace should be addressed in any CHE from the perspective of reconciliation.

Other Issues: Commitment

CHE in Indonesia needs a serious commitment to the three-fold education mission of equipping students with knowledge (mastering modern science & technology), practical skill (market orientation), and religious-moral spirituality (personal integrity).
Belong to the last are the appreciation of justice, human rights, social plurality, gender, ecological awareness, non-violence and democracy.

Other Issues: New Breed of Intellectuals

Most of the recent Indonesian Christian intellectuals suffer minority-complex and Islamo-phobia. As consequences are political power orientation and anti-Islamic tendency.
A reorientation is needed based on a comprehensive theological, historical, social and political understanding.
Campus Christian ministry should be reoriented to a genuine interfaith dialogue and common concern to the common future.

learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow (Isaiah 1:17).

Breeding the Peace Bearers:

The (Protestant) Christian Higher Education In Indonesia

Preliminary Remarks: Negative Images

Unfinished socio-political reformation

Economic-crisis with so huge foreign debts

Corrupted country (second to-?)

Unemployment and low-quality workers: domestic women workers abroad, illegal workers

Communal/ethnic/religious conflict

Terrorist haven

Education? The lowest HR index

Indonesia: Some Data

13,670 islands; extends approx 3,200 miles (5,100 km) from west to east and 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from north to south.

Population (1999 est.) 206.143.000 (70% in Java)

Religious affiliation (1990): Muslim 87.2%; Christian 9.6%, of which Roman Catholic 3.6%; Hindu 1.8%; Buddhist 1.0%; other 0.4%.

Educational Attainment (1990)

Percentage of population age 25 and over having: no schooling 34.6%; less than complete primary 28.2%; primary 23.3%; secondary 12.5%; higher 1.4%.

Literacy (1995 est.): total population age 15 and over literate 83.8%; males literate 89.6%; females literate 78.0%.

History 1

Christianity of Nestorianism was reached Indonesian archipelago since 7th century, but the modern Indonesian Christian was dated to Portuguese Roman Catholic arrival in 16th century.

Modern Indonesian Christianity consists of Roman Catholics, Reformed Protestantism (of Dutch Calvinism), and American Christians (Pentacontals, Adventist, etc).

Protestantism is divided into ecumenical and evangelical camps.

History 2

Modern missionary in Indonesia since 19th century was involved in introducing western education,

but the only higher education before independence was the Theological Seminary in Bogor (near Jakarta, now STT JAKARTA) in 1934.

Early Christian Colleges and Universities were founded in the 1950’s.

Christians belong to the few intellectuals in the first decade of independence.

Vision and Mission

Vision of CHE in Indonesia is that in 2020 all potential Indonesian Christians get good quality education to become a self-reliance, creative, and innovative citizen.

Its mission are developing good leadership with quality of academic and professional, spirituality of socio-humanism solidarity, and in that way participate in reshaping new world, and supporting realization of church unity in Indonesia. (BKPTKI 1996)

Structure & Kind: Number

There are 22 Christian Universities / Colleges in Indonesia members of Coordination Board of Indonesia Christian Higher Education (BKPTKI), 6 universities with theological faculty.

There are 2 layers of coordination board of Chr education institutions in Indonesia: BKPTKI (since 1958), and Coordination Board of Chr Education Institutions covered Primary to High Chr Schools, BKPTKI, Theol. Schools associations, and non-formal Chr education institutions (founded 1989).

Theological Seminaries

There are more than 100 theological seminaries; 29 seminaries (covered up to 70% of students) members of PERSETIA (Association of Theological Schools in Indonesia).

Some are members of PASTI (evangelical association) or PERSATPIM (Pentacostal association).

Relation to government is affiliation either to Ministry of National Education or to Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Some theological seminaries training teachers for Christian education.

Structure & Kind: Location

Majority of the 22 members of BKPTKI are located in Java (14, 6 in Jakarta) with relative better facilities. 8 in outer islands (3 universities in Sulawesi).

Most of the seminaries are located in Java.

The seminaries are belong to respective supporting churches.

One university with its faculty of theology was burned and 2 other were closed temporarily in the recent conflict of communities in eastern Indonesia region.

Structure & Kind: Quality

Generally the quality of higher education in Indonesia is low, included the Christians’.

It relates to insufficient of campus facilities (incl. Library and laboratory), the low number and quality of faculty members, financial shortages, and management problems.

But a few number of Ch. Universities belong to the best in the country, such as Univ. Pelita Harapan in Jakarta and Univ. Petra in Surabaya. Roman Catholic has some seminaries and relative good quality universities. So does Adventist’s.

Supporting Communities

Christian colleges and universities in Indonesia was founded and supported either by church(es) institutionally or by Christians private foundations.

There are few state colleges for training Christian religious educators.

Polarization between conservative evangelical and ecumenical streams in Indonesian Christianity weakened the mission of the Ch. education in the country

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths: good number of institutions, the size of student body, located in Java with better infrastructure facilities, spreading all over the country, contextual orientation,

Weaknesses: lack of financial support, lesser in the field of science and technology (concentrated more in social sciences), low education quality, etc

Opportunities and Challenges: Confessional

Christians’ colleges and universities as well as the other religions’ are granted the right to teach its respective religion to all students (incl. non-Christians) as unique character of the institute.

There is now a discourse to teach student of her/his respective religion in any religion’s education institute.

What is the goal and content of religious teaching in the higher education? Should not it be academic teaching of all religions rather than just catechetical?

Opportunities and Challenges: Political

Politically, the government gives right to all religious communities to participate in all levels and forms of education.

Recently the government ruled out the discrimination between state and private colleges and universities by applying the same accreditation standards of National Accreditation Board.

Opportunities and Challenges: Economic

The recent multi-dimensional crises of Indonesia causes inability of education institutions to provide facilities for better education quality.

The fast development of science and technology required higher cost to attain good quality.

On the other hand, there are more students enter colleges or universities in spite of its expensive cost.

Opportunities and Challenges: Educational

The increased number of student enrollment is a good opportunity for the CHE institutes to serve the country.

But next to economic crises is the low quality of education at the basic and middle levels.

CHE should fight the tendencies of commercializing education and of tolerating its low quality.

Other Issues: ICT

Information and communication Technology (ICT) is very important for the CHE to improve its quality by share the learning resources with more developed institutions.

A network of CHE via internet or other ICT facilities should be developed at national and international level.

Other Issues: Contextual Theology

Theological seminaries (members of PERSETIA) are working for an Indonesian contextual theology in the sense of cultural expressions and option for social changes.

The three interconnected problems of plurality, poverty and peace should be addressed in any CHE from the perspective of reconciliation.

Other Issues: Commitment

CHE in Indonesia needs a serious commitment to the three-fold education mission of equipping students with knowledge (mastering modern science & technology), practical skill (market orientation), and religious-moral spirituality (personal integrity).

Belong to the last are the appreciation of justice, human rights, social plurality, gender, ecological awareness, non-violence and democracy.

Other Issues: New Breed of Intellectuals

Most of the recent Indonesian Christian intellectuals suffer minority-complex and Islamo-phobia. As consequences are political power orientation and anti-Islamic tendency.

A reorientation is needed based on a comprehensive theological, historical, social and political understanding.

Christianity of Nestorianism was reached Indonesian archipelago since 7^th century, but the modern Indonesian Christian was dated to Portuguese Roman Catholic arrival in 16^th century.

Modern missionary in Indonesia since 19^th century was involved in introducing western education,