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Jakarta University delegation visits AKU-ISMC
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| The delegates from Jakarta University, AKU-ISMC Faculty and Aga Khan Foundation (UK) staff. |
From the 16th to the 18th of January, AKU-ISMC was host to a delegation of academics from Jakarta State University, Indonesia. The delegation consisted of Dr Bedjo Sujanto, Rector, Professor Ilza Mayuni, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Languages and Dr Andy Hadi of the Islamic Studies Department.
Through the exploration of potential collaboration with Jakarta University, AKU-ISMC hopes to start a process of partnership which would enable the Institute to exchange expertise on Muslim cultures with a focus on the Indonesian context, as well as engage with institutions in the region.
Partnerships with universities around the world provide AKU-ISMC with greater access to knowledge about Muslim cultures within their local contexts, as well as enhanced opportunities for collaboration on research and academic programmes. In South East Asia in particular, such relations with a variety of institutions will allow AKU-ISMC to further understand the Muslim cultures of both Indonesian and Malaysian societies.
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| During the visit, Professor Ilza Mayuni delivered a lecture about contemporary issues related to education in Indonesia. |
During the visit, Professor Ilza Mayuni delivered a lecture to faculty and students about contemporary issues related to education in Indonesia. Mayuni obtained her PhD from Universitas Negeri Jakarta and Masters in Applied Linguistics from Macquarie University, Sydney in 2005.
Mayuni's lecture provided an historical overview of the education system in Indonesia, from the 19th century to the present. She emphasised the cultural, social, religious and linguistic diversity of Indonesia and its inherent impact on the education system. Broadly speaking, Mayuni explained that two systems of education exist in Indonesia - the 'general' or state-funded education system, and the Islamic education system, based around Islamic boarding schools or Pesantren. Although the two systems follow different teaching methodologies and values, students often interact with both systems, especially if they continue on to higher education.
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| Professor Modjtaba Sadria and Jakarta University Rector Dr Bedjo Sujanto. |
Although there is little collaboration between the two systems, Mayuni explained that they generally follow the same structure. The notions of an 'Islamic' education and what it entails pose interesting questions - in the Indonesian context in particular, these would include questions that relate to the indigenisation of religion and notions of religious plurality in multicultural societies.
In her lecture, Mayuni explained the important role of education in promoting a sense of national identity and unity in Indonesia, while simaltaneously promoting the government policy of decentralisation. As a country with over 300 different ethnic groups, and large Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and other minority populations, the Indonesian education system integrates local cultures while recognising unity and the role of the state. An interesting discussion followed, exploring the role of Islam in the local context, in particular the role that it plays in the education system. In addition to this, the question of whose culture influences education raised many topics pertinent not only to the Indonesian context, but to other contexts as well.
The visit by the delegation from Jakarta University follows a visit to Indonesia in November 2007 by Professor Moncef Ben Abdeljelil, Head of Educational Programmes at the Institute. AKU-ISMC hopes to expand its partnerships with various institutions throughout the world, in doing so sharing its unique, multidisciplinary approach to the study of Muslim cultures.
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