Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Sri Wahyuni, Jakarta/Yogyakarta – An education expert warned on Sunday that extensive liberalization of education would threaten the existence of local universities.
Mochtar Buchori, a doctor in education from Harvard University in the US, said that allowing foreign universities to set up shop here would deprive local universities of top students and lecturers.
"People with money and intellectual ability will choose to go to the foreign universities, leaving only second-grade students for local universities," Mochtar told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
He further said that with their limited ability to compete with foreign universities, liberalization would in the end only sideline local colleges.
"Some of the reasons these local universities give for rejecting liberalization are acceptable. So, the entry of foreign universities needs to be regulated," Mochtar said.
He was commenting on a recent statement by Minister of Trade Mari Elka Pangestu that the government was committed to liberalizing the education sector in line with World Trade Organization (WTO) policies, but promised this would take the condition of local colleges into account.
The Forum of Indonesian Rectors (FRI) and the State Universities Rectors' Council (MR-PTN) are preparing a statement rejecting liberalization of the education sector.
Education is one of the global services sectors covered by the General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS) under the WTO plan, which would allow overseas based universities to open branches in Indonesia, and allow foreign lecturers to teach in Indonesian universities.
Mari contended that should the country remain closed to foreign-based universities, more Indonesian students would go abroad for their education.
Gadjah Mada University (UGM) rector Sofian Effendi said the rejection on liberalization on the part of the local education sector was based on the argument that education also served as a means of transferring the country's values and principles, and of ensuring that students developed a proper sense of "national identity".
He underlined that imparting skills and knowledge were not the only responsibilities of educational institutions.
"We will continue to internationalize our education under the UNESCO program. However, this should not involve the WTO as education is not the same as other tradable services," Sofian said.
He was referring to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The rector underlined that this was not because local universities were afraid to compete, but rather it was a matter of national identity.
"Internationalization should mean improving the quality of the education sector, not opening up foreign-based universities here," Sofian said.
Mochtar agreed, saying that the government needed to regulate the entry of foreign universities into the country so as to ensure that local universities continued to survive.