Globalization and Its Impacts on Higher Education in Indonesia

Globalization is perceived by many critics as both challenges and opportunities; impoverishment and prosperity. In light with what Lee Myung Sook, Professor of Daegu National University of Education, in her essay entitled International Education Research in Globalization Era stated that globalization had come about much faster than many of its forecasters in the 60s and 70s predicted, and the global society that had emerged was quite different than was expected Globalization is defined by many researchers as the process by which the peoples and nations of the world are increasingly fused into a single homogeneous entity. Moreover, the gradual weakening of the constraints of space and time on economic, politic, socio culture, and, without exception, some aspects of education in a nation, may be one of several good indicators that globalization is taking place. Marginson (1999) in his journal entitled After Globalization: Emerging Politics of Education defined globalization as an irreversible change of the politics of the nation-state and its regional sectors, domestic classes and nationally-defined interest groups. It is creating new potentials and limits in the politics of education. Its effects on the politics of education are complex Increasingly shaped as it is by globalizationboth directly and via the effects of globalization in national governmenteducation at the same time has become a primary medium of globalization, and an incubator of its agents. As well as inhibiting or transforming older kinds of education, globalization creates new kinds. Roberto Simona (2010) in his essay entitled Education in Indonesia, the Challenges of Globalization stated that for at least two decades, globalization and technological progress had favored exchanges in the world. They had created more possibilities in the field of education, helping experts developed new approaches to learning. Elite groups in Indonesia had taken advantage of the situation. Yet, many of the countrys (higher education) institutions had paid little attention to new ideas that encourage a global approach to education. Perhaps, the General Agreement on Trade Services (GATS) conference in 2003 has become the corner stone of the hype of internationalization of higher education (HE) around the world. In response to neo-liberal prescriptions of the WTO, GATS sought to liberalize trade in goods and services in industries and in education. Roberta M. Bassett (2006) in her book

entitled The WTO and the University: Globalization, GATS, and American Higher Education stated that HE in this agreement was defined as an international service industry to be regulated through the market place and through international trade agreements. As a consequence, many HEs around the world, seek to find international acknowledgements through collaborating with other foreign HEs, recruiting international students, implementing internationally accepted curriculum, and embedding themselves with the title World-Class University which some argue the title as merely public campaign. Few HEs in Indonesia follows the trend and to name some private HEs like President University, Swiss German University, Universitas Pelita Harapan (International Admission), and Binus University (International Admission). Some well-established HEs like Universitas Indonesia (UI), Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), and Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) also opened international program to accommodate a number of international students studying in their university. However, some management from public HEs argue that these international students have yet brought any financial benefits to the host universities since they come through scholarships and government funding. Particularly for President University, it is well-known for implementing full English as its primary teaching instructions to accommodate its growing international students who study together in the same classrooms with its local students. Interestingly, they pay full tuition fees without any funding. Located in the heart of Jababeka Industrial Estate Cikarang, Indonesia, President University positioned itself as the 21st century model of tertiary education in Indonesia which aims to bridge the world of education and the industry. Sawir (2010) in her essay entitled Internationalization of higher education: Issues within and beyond the practice highlighted several characteristics of internationalization of tertiary education in Indonesia including (1) outward staff and student mobility, (2) to maintain local and cultural identity was of primary concern in designing internationalized curriculum, (3) to enhance staff academic skills as in research and teaching quality through study abroad program, (4) to provide a better quality of higher education by empowering and promoting students for study abroad, preferably conducted in the medium of English, and by increasing the allocation of scholarships for overseas university study, with the expectation that graduates will return to Indonesia to benefit the local economy and community, and lastly (5) the importance of having coherent values and shared beliefs and a unified way of thinking among staff in conceptualizing and implementing internationalized programs.

Interestingly, a data from United Nations shows a decreasing outbound student mobility ratio since 2002. Outbound mobility ratio is defined as the number of students from a given country studying abroad as a percentage of the total tertiary enrolment in that country. The raise of public and private HEs offering international programs or double degree programs might explain the downward trend.

Source: United Nations (citing: UNESCO Institute for Statistics)

President University and very few HEs in Indonesia are the response towards internationalization of HE around the world. It is predicted that HEs, especially private universities, which fail to adapt their academic curriculum towards the demands of larger markets will face tough competitions in the future. According to Wayah S Wirot, Secretary General of the Association of Private Higher Education in Indonesia (Aptisi), that approximately 30% out of 800 private HEs in Indonesia were closed in 2008. Unfortunately, access to quality education has become increasingly a privilege of well-off families. It is a no secret that many families from middle-low economic are struggling desperately to come up with the fund to finance increasing tuition fees every year, let alone the increasing cost of living. With most of public HEs tend to react favorably towards privatization (and commercialization) of higher education, this is no minor impact in a society already badly affected by recent economic crises.
Jhanghiz Syahrivar is the Lecturer in Faculty of Economics of President University and the Head of Public Relations of President University, Indonesia