Indonesia's Government Reforming Islamic Tertiary Education to give Students 'Broader Knowledge'

The chair of Indonesia's taskforce for reforming Islamic education says the government wants to improve the quality of religious teaching in the country.

The chair of Indonesia's taskforce for reforming Islamic education says the government wants to improve the quality of religious teaching in the country.

Dr Jamhari Makruf, who is also the vice rector at the State Islamic University in Jakarta, says the nationwide effort to reform the education system is aimed at providing Muslim students with a "broader knowledge" of the world.

"We are forming our Islamic higher education is in order to be part of the national development as a whole," he told Asia Pacific.

"I think it's true that Muslims also should engage in global context and global issues that we're dealing with right now, peace and conflicts, and also democracy and also specific values and also the advancement of technology.

"It used to be their [mobility] is limited only in religious institutions only, such as Islamic education, the Ministry of Religious Affairs or Islamic court, but by giving them a more broader knowledge, then they can be part of the economic development, part of the high tech development or political development also."

Indonesia's push for Islamic education reform comes amid apparent growing support from militant factions of Indonesia's jihadi community for the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) in Iraq.

Sidney Jones, the director of the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), says that some Indonesian jihadists, as seen on many extremist websites, are raising money and pledging allegiance to the ISIS.

Dr Makruf acknowledges there are a "small number of Islamic institutions that are teaching radical items".

He says Australia has a role to play in Indonesia's education reform agenda, which encourages more moderate Islamic teachings.

"[Australia] should be part of that because we are good neighbours actually, we are neighbouring and what happens in Australia and what happens in Indonesia will influence each other, that's the basic premise.

"Islamic education actually caters more for girls rather than boys. So I think if Australia's concerned, to alleviate poverty and also to help girls to improve their quality of life, I think Islamic education is the best to invest in that.

"Part of the cause of radicalism in Islamist schools is because they've been neglected by many in the development. If you look at the budget for allocations for Islamist schools before 2003, it's very small."