Indonesia’s Pancasila Classes to be Reintroduced in Schools

As of the next academic year, the government will reinstate Pancasila courses in Indonesia’s elementary and high schools in a desperate attempt to halt violent behavior and the loss of cultural identity in society.

The Jakarta Globe: The decision was made by the Ministry of Education and Culture following a series of fatal brawls in high schools and university campuses, not to mention horizontal conflicts in various parts of the country.

Politicians and community leaders alike have expressed worry that an absence of Pancasila courses has also triggered a rise in ethnic and religious intolerance which could result in national disintegration if abandoned any further.

Pancasila, Indonesia’s state ideology, was ingrained into school curriculums a during former president Suharto’s three decades of dictatorial rule. Critics accused him of using the Pancasila Propagation Course, then known as P4, as a political indoctrination instrument to cement his power. As a result, his ouster in 1998 spelled an end to Pancasila’s inclusion in school curricula.

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