Research on Government Policies on Religious Education in South East Asia

A qualitative research was conducted throughout August 2018 – January 2019 in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Myanmar. The research, titled ‘Nurturing the Faith in Southeast Asia’ was able to capture how the six Southeast Asian states maintain the relationship between 1) state and religion; 2) state and religious education; and 3) religious education and prevention of violent extremism. There are several key findings from this study. First of all, establishing and maintaining a shared sense of national identity in vast and diverse six countries of Southeast Asia is quite a challenging task. There is a gap of what lies in the states’ constitutions with those in practices. Secondly, the way the state treats its majority is reflected in its policies in national education and religious education. The study shows that countries in which religion is embedded with national identity would provide more facilitations to the majority ethnic and religious groups in educational system, sometimes curtailing the rights and freedoms of religious minorities. Third, despite the increasing threat of violent extremism as well as communal conflicts in Southeast Asia, religious education has not played a significant role in the prevention of violent extremism.

Geographical Scope: National

Region: UNDP Asia and the Pacific

Country: Indonesia

Theme of Research: Education Faith-based

Year Published: 2019

Responsible Entity: UNDP Indonesia