In the field of education, the Islamic educational institutions, both formal and non-formal, have played a major role in educating Indonesians from the colonial era 1600-1945, to the present day. / One of the Islamic educational institutions famous for its Islamic approach is the pesantren. This institution, however, is facing major challenges at present and is being asked to update, develop and change many of its programs in order to enable its graduates to participate more fully in Indonesian national life, particularly in the field of national development. As a result, some pesantrens began modernizing their educational systems. The modernization process is accomplished through the adoption of the national education system alongside the classical system, thus providing students with secular subjects and skills training together with religious education. As is to be expected, this modernization effort has created a number of problems for pesantrens such as lack of funds, finding skilled teachers for the secular and skill subjects, building the necessary facilities and creating the needed administrative apparatus. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

As the most populous Muslim country in the world, Indonesia has a unique experience in dealing with Islamic education, a system that was established years before the country's independence. This dissertation focuses on the development of Indonesian Islamic schools in facing the challenges of modernization and globalization, with special reference to their changing curricula. Using the social constructionist perspective as an approach, this study examines the significance of political and social changes to the development of Islamic schools' curricula throughout the country's history. This study finds evidences of a reciprocal relationship between the changing curricula of Indonesian Islamic schools and the changing social and political circumstances.

This study addresses the phenomenon of elite Islamic schools in Indonesia by focusing on Al Azhar Islamic High School in Jakarta. Taking as its starting point the evolution and expansion of Islamic educational institutions in contemporary Indonesia, particularly since the 1970s, it examines the emergence of elite Islamic schools and identifies the unique characteristics that attract many urban, middle-class Muslims to send their children to these schools. In addition, this study attempts to address the lack of research on the history of Islamic education in Indonesia between the years 1970 and 2000. A review of past studies demonstrates that this period has not been critically examined enough. / In looking at the specific example of Al Azhar Islamic High School, an evaluative case study and ethnographic techniques were employed. Interviews, observations, and fieldnotes served as primary resources. As the first elite Islamic school ever founded, it has distinguished itself as a pioneer in providing educational service especially to the urban Muslim society in Jakarta. My central research question was whether the changes that had occurred in the Islamic educational system following the introduction of elite or excellence-oriented schools had really lived up to expectations. More specifically, I inquired into the strengths and weaknesses of elite Islamic schools faced with the task of meeting ongoing and complex challenges in this era of globalization, while at the same time maintaining Islamic teachings and practices. / However, this study found that there is still a gap between the ideals of the elite Islamic school and its ability to pursue its stated goals of education. The lack of human resources and poor communications between school community and government show that these schools have not yet achieved the highest quality standards. The study also reveals that the school has to adopt policies to promote transparency in the organizational and administrative spheres, openness to non-Muslims, and accessibility to other sections of society. / This research makes a contribution to the fields of school reform and school effectiveness. Moreover, the study may also have implications for other social and religious contexts.

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The pondok-pesantren is an Islamic educational institution which plays an important role in Indonesia. Being the earliest such institution, it has an effect on the educational field in the Archipelago.

In this study I investigate the influence and reception of Paulo Freire in Indonesia with a specific question in mind: To what extent has Freire influenced educational thought and practice in the country? This study shows that Paulo Freire has been known in Indonesia since the early 1970s, although he was at first familiar only to certain groups. In the 1980s, the discourse and practice of Freirean education was more extensive than in the 1970s, with both domains (discourse and practice) equally balanced. The trend in the 1990s up to 2005 shifted: there was a more extensive discussion of Freire than implementation of his theory and methodology in practice. / This study shows that Paulo Freire has left a considerable intellectual legacy to Indonesian educational scholars and practitioners. In fact, his cultural and educational philosophies have become subjects of discussion amongst social activists, educational practitioners and scholars concerned with educational issues. It is no wonder that many articles, books and theses by and on Freire are available in the Indonesian. I would venture to say that no other foreign educational thinker has gained such acceptance in Indonesia. / The study explores as well the attempts to connect Freire to Islam---the faith of a majority of Indonesian---demonstrated by the publication of many articles and theses that tried to compare and connect the two. This is, to the best of my knowledge, a new feature in Freirean scholarship. My contention is, however, that any attempt to compare Islam and Freire is likely to fall into apologetic, in the sense that this would only confirm that Islam also insists on the idea of liberation, as Freire did, without trying to analyze why such an idea has never developed in Islamic education. The fact that Islam, since its appearance, has concerned itself with liberation and taking the side of the poor cannot be denied. However, using this fact to legitimate Freire's educational philosophy and practice is less productive, because it does not make a substantive contribution to re-developing and re-structuring Islamic education, which is essentially conservative. / Freire in Indonesia is not only influential in the realm of discourse, but in that of practice as well. In this study I investigate the experiences of Indonesian educational practitioners in applying Freire's educational philosophy and methodology to certain discrete groups within the society, namely, villagers in Papua, the rural poor in Maluku Tenggara, workers, peasants, street children, university students, and NGO activists. / From my investigation, became clear that it was not Freire's concept of literacy that found favor with Indonesian educational practitioners; rather, it was his vision of education as a means of improving critical capacities within learners and of driving social transformation. No evidence could be found of any group or individuals in Indonesia applying Freire's approach in a systematic way and as a whole; most, rather, mixed this with other concepts, such as community organizing and community development. / The positive reception of Freire in Indonesia does not necessarily mean that his thought is accepted blindly or without critique. Several criticisms offered by Indonesian educators of the theories of Paulo Freire are highlighted in this study, although few of them have not been raised before.

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