Reforming Higher Education in Indonesia: Expanding Access and Improving Quality
Indonesia's higher education system is facing a critical juncture, as the country grapples with the dual challenges of widening access and enhancing quality across its diverse array of public and private institutions.
As one of the largest higher education systems in the world, Indonesia has set ambitious goals to develop world-class universities while ensuring affordable, quality education for its rapidly growing population. However, Welch and Aziz reveal a higher education landscape marked by stark inequities, regulatory challenges, and the persistent struggle to maintain standards amid rapid expansion.
A Burgeoning Private Sector and Uneven Access
A key driver behind Indonesia's higher education growth has been the mushrooming of a vast private sector, which now accounts for over 96% of all higher education institutions and 58% of total enrollments. While the private sector has helped widen access, many of these institutions are poorly regulated and offer an inferior education compared to the public sector.
"The combined effect of a burgeoning private sector, and privatization of public HEIs, has increased inequality of access," Welch and Aziz state. Poorer students often pay more for a lower-quality education, as private institutions rely heavily on tuition fees, with limited government funding.
Regional disparities in access are also pronounced, with Java, the most populous island, hosting the majority of higher education institutions and enrollments. Gross enrollment ratios range from just 11% in Bangka Belitung to 127% in Jakarta, underscoring the uneven distribution of educational opportunities across Indonesia's diverse archipelago.
Quality Assurance Struggles and the Rise of Islamic Education
Ensuring quality across such a vast and diverse higher education system has proven challenging. Welch and Aziz note that the "extent of its growth has made effective and transparent quality assurance standards difficult to maintain."
Adding to this complexity is the parallel system of Islamic higher education, which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA). While Islamic institutions now enroll over 11% of the total student population, they operate alongside the secular institutions overseen by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECR&T).
"It is more useful to think of a continuum between secular and religious" in the Indonesian context, Welch and Aziz suggest, as the influence of conservative Islam has grown in recent years, posing potential challenges to academic freedom and pluralism.
Toward a More Equitable and Globally Competitive Future
To address these multifaceted challenges, Welch and Aziz highlight several reform efforts underway. Modest regionalization initiatives aim to devolve more autonomy to leading universities, while the government has set its sights on developing one or two world-class institutions to raise Indonesia's global profile.
Critically, the country must also grapple with deep-seated inequities in access, quality, and outcomes. As a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals, Indonesia has committed to providing equal access to affordable, quality higher education for all. Yet, Welch and Aziz caution, "significant challenges remain, including inequities, quality assurance, corruption, and some extremist elements."
Realizing Indonesia's higher education ambitions will require a comprehensive, coordinated approach that balances the diverse needs of its population, strengthens regulatory oversight, and cultivates academic excellence across the public and private sectors. The stakes are high, as the country seeks to harness the transformative power of higher education to drive sustainable development and secure its place on the global stage.
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Welch, A., & Aziz, E. A. (2023). Higher Education in Indonesia. In L. P. Symaco & M. Hayden (Eds.), International Handbook on Education in South East Asia (pp. 1-26). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8136-3_41-2