Our Education (Awaluddin Syamsu)

One of the purposes of education in our country, Indonesia, is to gain a spiritual generation. Therefore, Children are being taught religion at school. It is different case in western country or even in Australia. Religion is not taught at school. It is not too much if we say that we are lucky enough because our education provides religion teaching at school in order to create a religious generation. This short essay will discuss education at elementary to senior high school, in terms of the educational system. Then it will present some questions to be discussed.

Education in Indonesia could be divided generally into two, general school and religion school, any school which provides more religion subjects such as Islamic boarding school and madrasah. Both types of schools are addressed to create a spiritual generation. However, I am pessimistic on our education to be able to create spiritual generation because the educational system is secular. Either general schools or religion schools are just the same. They both adopt secularism system of education. The difference is only at the number of subjects that students have to learn. If our education purpose is to produce spiritual generation, then the system should be integrated. All subjects that students learn at school must be linked to religion. Even more, Religion should be the basic foundation of all subjects. When the students learn math, biology, physics and so on, they have to learn religion at the same time consciously or subconsciously. That is only the way to create a spiritual generation in terms of school context.

Some of you may think that some people who graduated from Islamic boarding school are able to understand religion well or even memorize the entire Qur’an. This assumption is true if the definition of religious generation is the generation that is able to memorize and comprehends Islamic concept and teaching. Yet, the definition of religious generation should be more extended. The true Spiritual generation is the ones who can internalize religion in any aspect of their life and any subjects. They are experts in math, biology, physics and so on but the basis of their understanding on the subjects are coming from religion.

In conclusion, the purpose and the system of our education are not fit.

Questions:
1. What do you think about our educational system?
2. Can our educational system produce religious generation?
3. How to deal with this fact?
4. Have you seen any school that is truly applying the integrated religion in all subjects that they provide?