Edu-community practice: What the community means for religious education equality in Indonesia

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Citizenship, Communities and Justice in Southeast Asia

Proposal

Entrenched in Indonesia’s context, this research explores the Edu-community practice in society and
the religious communities' engagement in religious education for all religions (REFAL) in community-
based RE. Therefore, this study underlines that multiculturalism and multi-religious contexts can
contribute to educational disparities, as in the case of Indonesia. It is part of the practice of Religious
Education for All Religions (REFAL) within a multi-religious and culturally diverse society. The
urgency of delivering REFAL in Indonesia has emerged in formal education, which has six religions:
Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Islam is the largest
religion that accounts for around 87% of the total population in Indonesia (Indonesian Statistics
Information Center, 2022).
The concept of REFAL exists in multi-religious societies to enhance equal opportunities for
receiving religious education (RE). As the national policy of Indonesia emphasises REFAL, it is stated
in the National Educational System of Indonesia number 20 in 2003 that “each student has a right to
get religious education based on their religion and taught by a teacher who has the same religion also”
(Act of the Republic of Indonesia on National Education System, 2003). RE becomes the government's
strategy to promote religious tolerance, along with moral and ethical education, thereby preventing
religious tension among different faiths. It made RE compulsory in the national curriculum for all
education levels in Indonesia under the regulation of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA) and the
Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC). RE is also included in the final school assessment. Thus,
Indonesians see RE as an essential aspect of formal education.
Utami et al. (2021) find that the community has taken a significant role in supporting REFAL, such
as religious activities. In a previous study, schools collaborated with community-based RE to provide
learning evaluations for students from religious minority groups. Additionally, the religious customs in
each area of Indonesia influence religious activities in schools and the community. Thus, the preliminary
investigation results indicate the existing role of religious communities in supporting REFAL, which is
later referred to as the Edu-community in this study. According to Masrukhin & Supaat (2018), the
Ministry of Internal Affairs recorded about 344,039 recognised and 370 unrecognised religious-based
communities in Indonesia. It suggests that those communities may have a significant opportunity to
support REFAL in Indonesia.
This multiple-case study encompasses three distinct areas: urban (Yogyakarta), rural (Bangka
Island), and remote (Kupang and Sabu Island), allowing for the exploration of various contexts within
religious communities. Yogyakarta is an urban area on the island of Java with a diverse population,
comprising Muslim, Protestant, Catholic, and Hindu communities. Bangka Island is a rural area with a
diverse population comprising Muslims, Buddhists, and Confucians. Also, Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT
(East Nusa Tenggara)), especially in Kupang City and Sabu Island, is categorised as a remote area. It
has Protestants and Catholics as the most significant population in Kupang City and Sabu Island. This
study involves 40 interviewees from various religious backgrounds, including Islam, Protestantism,
Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Edu-community is a community educational
practice aimed at empowering REFAL.
The Educational Community is derived from community members' awareness of the importance
of supporting education, especially in providing equal opportunities to all, which is the primary focus
of this study, particularly to REFAL. The phrase "Edu- community" is intimately connected to the
educated community and represents a vital aspect of the educational practice within the community.
The distinctions between community participation, community education, and Edu-community are
essentially the same, as the community participates in education, primarily through formal education.
Community education can be the effort of a government organisation (GO) or a non-government
organisation (NGO) to provide education for the community, especially for adults. However, Edu-
community is the community-based education created by the community, ‘for’ the community, and ‘in’
the community. It involves community-based educational practices to address gaps in formal education.
Through the Edu-community, we can observe how the educational system is constructed within society.
Therefore, this study tries to determine how the educational system in the community responds to the
REFAL practice and connects the concept of religious inherency formation in society.
Moreover, the edu-community creates religious educational systems that involve religious leaders,
youth, parents, and children. Each religion has its form of RE, where children, teens, and young adults
are the target participants. It includes the stakeholders involved in the Edu-community practice for
providing religious education within the religious community. This system provides essential
information for the multi-religious public school to direct them on involving the religious community
in supporting the REFAL practice. In this context, the edu-community plays an essential role in
examining the religious society and creating a peaceful society within a multi-religious context, such as
Indonesia. Besides, the Edu-community is one of the places to construct religious cultures and values,
especially for children to form religious inherency, the connection of religion among the religious
community members.

References
Indonesian Statistics Information Center. (2022). Persentase Pemeluk Agama (Persen), 2019-2021.
Statistics Information Center of East Nusa Tenggara.
https://ntt.bps.go.id/indicator/108/84/1/persentase-pemeluk-agama-.html
Masrukhin, & Supaat. (2018). The Islamic mass organization contribution in protecting the religiosity
inclusive and diversity in Indonesia. ADDIN, 12(2), 407–446.
Utami, P. T., Shimizu, T., & Kusakabe, T. (2021). Toward religious education for all religions : Reducing
the education gap based on Indonesia’s religious inherency. Africa Educational Research Journal,
12(12), 73–84.

Author

• Pratiwi Tri Utami, Hiroshima University, CICE