Introduction

The history of Chinese education in Indonesia is inextricably tied with the political, cultural, and social dimensions of the country. Like their neighbours in Malaysia and Singapore, members of the Chinese community in Indonesia have tried to establish their own educational systems for their youth upon their settlement in Indonesia. Due to shifts and fluctuations in the Indonesian political history, from Dutch colonial administration (1600 1942), and the Japanese Occupation (1942–45), to the Soekarno and Soeharto eras (1945 –65 and 1965–98 respectively) and Reformasi (1998–present), the Chinese in Indonesia have encountered many different situations that have dictated the conditions of their education in Indonesia.

Recent literature on Reformasihas focused on the cultural, political, socio-economic, and cultural developments that have occurred since the fall of Soeharto (for example, Budianta 2000 & 2003; Lane 1999; Lubis and Santosa 1999). Many of these works have also centred on the changing role and identity of the Chinese in Indonesia (for example, Tan 1999 and Budiman 2005). One area that scholars have not specifically touched on is the development of Chinese education in post-1998 Indonesia. This chapter presents a preliminary overview of this development. However, because the current situation of Chinese education in Indonesia cannot be fully grasped without an understanding of the political and sociocultural factors that precede it, this chapter will begin with a summary of the history of Chinese education in Indonesia. Data for this chapter have been obtained from newspaper articles, books, and in-depth interviews with current and past leaders in Chinese education. The section on the present situation of Chinese education in Indonesia is supplemented with interviews with parents who choose to send their children to schools offering Mandarin, as well as those who have opted not to do so. The chapter concludes with projections on the future of Chinese education in Indonesia.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

According to Ming Govaars’ (2005) Dutch Colonial Education: The Chinese Experience in Indonesia, 1900–1942, the formal development of Chinese education by the Dutch colonial administration in Indonesia did not start until the beginning of the twentieth century. Before 1900, the Dutch East India Company laid the foundations for the education of European and indigenous communities.