By Imroatus Solikhah

Indonesia is one of the archipelagic countries in the world that have many ethnic and local languages and multilingual populations. This linguistic diversity arouses interest in learning a foreign language. The challenges of teaching and learning English as a foreign language to learners of all ages — young learners up to university students — can be seen in educational policies, curriculum, ideology, and socio-cultural and religious values, and is currently being contested in the process of shaping research and practice of English education in complex, dynamic, and polycentric sociolinguistic situations (Zaen, 2020).

Indonesia’s higher education system contains two main streams, namely the national system (Kemendikbud/Ministry of Education and Culture/MoEC) and what is known as the religious system (kemenag/ Ministry of Religion/MoRA). There are consequently two sets of regulations here: most public and private tertiary institutions are regulated by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MoEC), while others are regulated by the Ministry of Religion (MoRA). The latter include higher education centers owned and operated by faith-based organizations, including state organizations, with curricula focused on theology and other religion-specific fields of study but they have public and private study programs as well (Chan, 2019). In higher education, there are five categories of institutions, such as university (Universitas), institute (Institut), Tertiary College (Sekolah Tinggi), Polytechnic (Politeknik/Poltek), and Academy (Akademi) for both public and private education. For instance, STAIN/STABN/High School of Religion, IAIN and UIN have not only majors in the field of religion but also majors in economics, language and literature, medicine, science, and so on. However, many religious institutions, such as those run by Muhammadiyah and the Catholic Church, remain part of the national system, under the Ministry of Education and Culture, and teach the state curriculum. All higher education institutions in Indonesia can confer degrees from bachelor level up to doctoral level, however, master and doctoral degrees from polytechnics are referred to as ‘applied’ degrees under MoEC regulations.

English is a compulsory subject in Indonesia, however the implementation of teaching and learning English is not standard yet. The universities have their own standards. How to design appropriate materials and how to teach and learn are still areas of conflict. Putra et al. (2022) argue that these failures reflect the dominance of predatory officials and business groups in institutional governance and the relative marginalization of those who support improved research, teaching, and community service in line with either neo-liberal or idealist conceptions of quality. Indonesia is famous for changing ministers, and the change is followed by policy and curriculum changes. The impact of that can be confusion and it creates a barrier to implementing changes in the teaching-learning process (Nevenglosky, et all, 2019).

The biggest problem of education in Indonesia is how to arrange the frequently changed curriculum and distribute the materials (Solikhah, 2022) which need to be revised. Therefore the biggest problem faced by Indonesia in English education is how to develop a curriculum, revise the materials and then distribute them. Regarding English language competence, there is a gap between urban and rural competence and preoccupation with curriculum matters. The campus decides on its own standards in English language education. In other words, the level of English competence does not only depend on the university’s vision and mission but also the competence of different lecturers and available facilities. In addition, tailoring of material for young learners to university students has not been accommodated. The new minister of education commonly introduces a new curriculum and policy is changed, however the new curriculum is not necessarily effective.

Indonesia has made significant progress in education, including large improvements in enrolment and gender parity. The government can build on education reforms and achieve better results in line with President Jokowi’s vision. Indonesia can ensure all children get a good start, and it can focus on learning for all to ensure that no children fall behind, especially those who are poor, live in remote areas, or have disabilities, by  assessing and bridging learning gaps, selecting, preparing and supporting teachers, strengthening accountability mechanisms, and building a more resilient education system.

The Covid-19 pandemic has taught us to learn and change our habits. The diffusion of information and communications technology (ICT) into all aspects of our lives and its impact on altering the nature of social interactions is not a new phenomenon (Harto, 2020). Indonesia is in a unique position to exploit the advent of online learning. More than 171 million or 69 percent of Indonesians are connected to the worldwide web with an internet penetration rate that stood at 63.5 percent in 2019 according to the latest survey by the Association of Indonesian Internet Service Providers (APJII), which is higher than the average for Asian countries. The MODISH project will support the understanding of the role of technology and EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) in English education for higher education.

Rosser (2018) argues that the Indonesian Government hopes to develop a ‘world-class’ education system by 2025. However, numerous assessments of the country’s education performance suggest that it has a long way to go before it will achieve that goal. Many Indonesian teachers and lecturers lack the required subject knowledge and pedagogical skills to be effective educators; learning outcomes for students are poor; and there is a disparity between the skills of graduates and the needs of employers. So, a project like MODISH will be a fruitful experience to help educators improve teaching and learning.

References

Chan, C. (2019). Briefing note: Indonesia’s higher education systems. Skills

Futures, The Australia-Indonesia Centre.

Harto, R. B. (2020). Transforming Indonesia’s education through online

learning”. https://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2020/05/21/transforming-indonesias-education-through-online-learning.html

Nevenglosky, E. A., Cale C., Aguilar, L.P. (2019). Barriers to effective curriculum implementation. Research in Higher Education Journal. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1203958.pdf

Pratama, C. Dina Chamidah, Suyatno, S., Faiza R. (2021). Strategies to improved education quality in Indonesia: A review. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology 12(3),1977-1994

Rosser, Andrew. (2023). Higher education in Indonesia: The political economy of

institution-level governance. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 53 (1), 53-78. DOI: 10.1080/00472336.2021.2010120.

Rosser, A. (2018). Beyond access: Making Indonesia’s education system work.

Lowy Institute, https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/beyond-access making-indonesia-s-education-system-work

Solikhah, I. (2022). Revisiting the EFL curriculum in the outcome-based

education framework and freedom to learn program. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 13(2), 243-264

Zein, S., Sukyadi, D., Hamied, F.  A., Lengkanawati, N. S. (2020). English Language Education in Indonesia: A review of research (2011–2019). Language Teaching 53(4):1-33. DOI: 10.1017/S0261444820000208.

 

By Naushaad Kabir

Because of the long colonial history, English has occupied a significant position in the education of Bangladesh. At present, English is taught as a compulsory subject from grade 1 to grade 12 and also in the first year of undergraduate programmes. Among the diverse streams of education offered under the educational curriculum of Bangladesh, English medium schools follow the Cambridge curriculum to a great extent, and to a limited but promising extent, the IB (International Baccalaureate) curriculum. The demand for the English version of the national curriculum at the secondary and primary levels of education is on the rise.  At the tertiary level, since 1992, private universities have been offering education in English. Specialist universities like science and technology or medical universities also offer education in English. In general universities, both teachers and learners have the freedom to choose their medium of instruction (MOI). There are more than 100 private universities and 50 public universities in the country (Haque, 2022; Sultana & Chowdhury, 2022) and around 2300 tertiary level colleges affiliated to the National University of Bangladesh where around 2 million students study (Haque, 2022). The role of English as a medium of instruction is increasing at all levels of education and employment.

At present, the country’s vision and missions are more driven by the global, commercial, technological and neo-liberal trends. The Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Programme, a multinational digital transformation organization under the ICT division of the Government of Bangladesh, focuses on the inclusive digitization of public services in Bangladesh. Among the nine missions mentioned on their website (https://a2i.gov.bd/), it pays special attention to Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041, Digital Equity and Future of Education. According to ‘SMART Bangladesh Vision 2041’, the country aspires to being a High-Income Country by 2041 by achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The three following excerpts from the website elucidate the government’s emphasis on technology and development more lucidly.

Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041

Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041 is about more than a futuristic Bangladesh, more than 5G internet, more than 100% smartphone penetration, more than 100% high-speed internet penetration, more than going cashless.

Digital Equity

Building forward better, Innovative Bangladesh Vision 2041 requires an uncompromising and relentless focus on ensuring Digital Equity – the idea that everyone should have the availability, accessibility and affordability of information technology needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy.

Future of Education

Bangladesh’s approach to reforming the education ecosystem has been multidimensional. It is a collaborative effort between the Government, NGOs, and the private sector. Together, they have created a digital education ecosystem which follows a multimodal approach – a combination of multiple high-tech, low-tech and non-tech learning modalities . . . Keeping pace with the changing times, a2i has provided technical support to the education ministry to adapt a Private-Public-People-Media (PPPM) strategy to facilitate learning and teaching from home.

In implementing the government’s aspiration to be a high-income country by 2041, concerted efforts of people of diverse origins and types need to be included and a bridge between the colonial past and the aspiring present need to be built to be able to reach the desired future. There is no alternative to preparation through education and this is why the MODISH research project is pertinent and important, as it will help us understand the role of English with regard to technology and EDI. The project is aiming to build up a thorough understanding of how English is perceived and used in education by diverse stakeholders in the country, whether the treatment of English is appropriately directed towards the goal or whether further comprehension of deciding factors is needed for further improvement. The project can also help ensure the participation of people from all walks of life and thus reduce inequity and enhance access, affordability, inclusion and quality in English education.

Kabir (2012, 2016) identified disputes regarding the role and status of English in education in all the reports of the education committees/commissions in post-independence Bangladesh. He presents four assumptions behind such disputes, including lack of sustainable planning, intervention of political parties, ideological divides in intelligentsia and vulnerability of the policy (Kabir, 2012, 2016).  Through a research based approach, the MODISH project is likely to uncover the mismatches and contradictory elements in people’s ambivalent attitude towards English in the country, assist the educators, policy makers, guardians and students in coming to terms with the present day reality characterized by the rapid rise of technology i.e. artificial intelligence, VR technology, cashless society, the fourth industrial revolution and so on. Though the government level policy moves in a top-down fashion to still prioritise Bangla based education in a rather incoherent, ambiguous and ambivalent manner, the micro level practices of the people, in a bottom-up manner, seem to show preference for English in an unplanned and debatable way. Research projects like MODISH need to be conducted to eradicate challenges in language policy and planning with a view to ensuring smoother transition from the status of a ‘Least Developed Country’ to the status of a ‘Developing Country’ which Bangladesh targets to achieve in 2026.

References

A2i. https://a2i.gov.bd/

Haque, E.  (2022, June 15). Public v. Private Universities in Bangladesh. banglanews24. https://www.banglanews24.com/english/open-forum/news/bd/94450.details

Kabir, M. M. N. (2012). An evaluation of the secondary school English curriculum in Bangladesh: Suggestions for reforms. An unpublished PhD dissertation. School of English Language Education. The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, India.

Kabir, M. M. N. (2016). English Language Education in Bangladesh: Linking the Doubly Colonized Past To The Present Situation. Journal of the Institute of Modern Languages, Volume 27, 2016. Institute of Modern Languages, University of Dhaka.

Sultana, N., & Chowdhury, N. E. (2023, 28 January) The rise of private universities in Bangladesh.  The Dhaka Tribune. https://www.dhakatribune.com/op-ed/2022/06/15/the-rise-of-private-universities-in-bangladesh