Jakarta – Amid the growing Islamic radicalism that has influenced many countries, including Indonesia, the country has to look no further than local wisdom to teach children peace and tolerance.
Education expert Muljani Nurhadi said Wednesday that the government should incorporate local values in school curriculum that have already carried messages of peace and tolerance.
"The government has to harness these two things because, currently, they are only used sporadically in the regions," Muljani said during a discussion at the Culture and Education Ministry building in Senayan, South Jakarta.
Muljani, a religious education specialist with the Analytical and Capacity Development Partnership (ACDP), was referring to a 2015 research report by the institution, which is primarily aimed at assisting the Religious Affairs Ministry to better the quality of Islamic religious education in the country.
The research report found out that several regions have been practicing traditions that embody peace and tolerance. "People in Manado, North Sulawesi, have long used the torang samua basudara [we are all family] term as their tenet, showing that they believe fraternity is a focal point to promote tolerance. Dayak people in Kalimantan use the term bubuhan, in which they do not differ between people even though they came from mixed marriages.
"In Bali, there is a new tradition by the local administration to gather religious leaders to solve problems in the public. Meanwhile, the Batak people have a clan name system that regards people as being in the same clan even if they have different religions," Muljani explained.
The ACDP also found that teachers in several regions are developing new methods to promote peace and tolerance among their pupils, citing what has been done by teachers in West Java and Yogyakarta.
Teachers in West Java created several books aimed at raising students' comprehension of those two values, such as Aku Bangga Jadi Diri Sendiri (I am Proud of Myself), No Curiga No Prasangka (No Suspicion and Prejudice), Beda Keyakinan Nggak Usah Musuhan (We Should Not Be Enemies Because of Different Beliefs), Laki-Laki dan Perempuan Sama-Sama Manusia (Men and Women Are All Human) and Konflik Bikin Kamu Makin Dewasa (Conflicts Make You Wiser).
Meanwhile, in Yogyakarta, which is heralded by many as the country's education center, teachers have found methods to promote peace and tolerance by creating fable books in Javanese, such as Sinau Marang Semut Ireng (Learning from the Ants) and Golek Iwak (Fishing).
Muljani said that the ACDP, along with the religious ministry, had included those findings in a training syllabus for Islamic religious education teachers, which contains several directives on how to promote peace and tolerance in this school subject.
"We have also broached these findings with the Culture and Education Ministry. The ministry research and development unit is mulling over implementing what the ACDP had done with the Religious Affairs Ministry to improve the quality other school subjects," Muljani added.
The head of the education ministry's research and development unit, Totok Suprayitno, said that in the 2013 curriculum, which would be used in July this year, the ministry allows teachers nationwide to maneuver, giving them the freedom to use any form of teaching method, including in the effort to promote peace and tolerance.
"In the revised 2013 curriculum, teachers are encouraged to be more creative, so that students could gain a wider perspective that people have to be tolerant to others," Totok said.
He cited an example of what the ministry is hoping from the teaching of history. "In the previous curriculum, teachers had to stick to details written in the history learning book, but history is still a debatable subject. In the revised curriculum, they are allowed to use different sources, so that students could be more flexible in accepting and discussing historical details from various sources." (mos)