South East Asia Archives - IMPACT-se

Indonesia’s New Curriculum

adminimpact — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

IMPACT-se’s updated report on Indonesia’s textbooks provides an important barometer in assessing the direction of the world’s fourth most populous country. The study analyzes Indonesia’s most recent Merdeka Curriculum and compares it with the previous 2013 Curriculum. The findings reveal a significant shift toward inclusivity and tolerance. The new curriculum highlights minority religions and indigenous belief systems as essential to Indonesia’s national identity. It also presents a more balanced portrayal of Jews and Judaism, eliminating problematic content from earlier editions, and promotes greater interfaith understanding. With a population of 240 million and growing geopolitical relevance, Indonesia’s education system plays a key role in shaping both the country and beyond.

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The Portrayal of Jews and Israel in Muslim and Arab Textbooks: Major Trends

adminimpact — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This special publication, produced in collaboration with INSS by IMPACT-se Head of Research Eldad Pardo and Research Associate Dr. Yonatan Negev, explores the portrayal of Jews and Israel in textbooks from Muslim and Arab countries across the Middle East, North Africa, Azerbaijan, and Indonesia. The depiction of Jews varies from negative stereotypes influenced by traditional and modern antisemitism, to occasional positive references acknowledging the respect given to the “Israelites” by the Prophet Muhammad. Israel is mostly portrayed negatively, especially in relation to the Palestinian conflict. Meanwhile, there is little mention of the Holocaust or the history of indigenous Jews in the region. While textbooks might be free from anti-Jewish content but still contain anti-Israel material, the reverse is not seen. The study also finds that countries which deviate from promoting a moderate and inclusive educational vision tend to include more delegitimizing rhetoric against Jews and Israel. Conversely, those striving for curricula that emphasize peace and tolerance often reduce radical discourse against Jews and Israel.

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South Korea’s plan for AI textbooks hit by backlash

adminimpact — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

South Korea’s plan to introduce AI-powered digital textbooks in schools has sparked concerns about children’s overexposure to digital devices and potential misinformation. While the government aims to shift to more innovative, personalized education using AI, critics argue that the rollout has not addressed potential negative effects. Despite these concerns, many teachers support the initiative, though some parents fear it could hinder students’ brain development and problem-solving skills. Complete Article HERE.

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UNITY IN DIVERSITY: THE INDONESIAN CURRICULUM

adminimpact — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This IMPACT-se report offers a first-of-its-kind insight into the Indonesian curriculum for grades 1–12. This covers textbooks on religion, civics, history, social studies, environmental studies, globalization, and geography. The research explores how specific lessons, images and exercises portray and shape attitudes toward international relations, officially recognized and non-recognized religions, gender equality, local languages and cultures, and ethnic minorities. It evaluates the ways in which the state philosophy of Pancasila promotes national values of unity within diversity; religious and social harmony; humility; the importance of local wisdom; and respect toward other nations. This analysis looks at 169 textbooks taught in the Standard Public Track, schools run by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, which make up 85 percent of all students. The report focuses on five thematic categories: “Pancasila: One God, Unity-in-Diversity,” “Religious Communities in Indonesia,” “Minorities and the ‘Other’,” “International Relations,” and “Local and Ethnic Wisdom.”

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Trolley School Helps Philippine Children Keep Their Education on Track

adminimpact — Sat, 26 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A brightly decorated wooden trolley rumbles down a little-used rail track in the southern Philippines carrying four young teachers—two on the front and two in the back—pushing it along with their feet. Kitted out with a whiteboard, colorful charts, and a stack of books, the tiny, mobile school slides along from village to village three times a week, bringing education to impoverished children near the city of Tagkawayan as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps schools shut in much of the South-East Asian archipelago. “It’s important that we do this, especially now that there is a pandemic and the children cannot do face-to-face learning,” Shaira Berdin, one of nine volunteers who operate the trolley, said in an interview as kids crouched in the grass by the railway track, thumbing through English books. Tagkawayan is a town of about 54,000 people in Quezon province, about 176 kilometers south-east of Manila… Complete Article HERE

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