Negotiating Islamic Tradition and the State: Madrasah Curriculum Transformation in Indonesia from Colonialism to Reformasi
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37680/ssa.10974Keywords:
madrasah curriculum, Islamic education, curriculum transformation, Indonesian education policy, national education systemAbstract
This study examines the historical transformation of the madrasah curriculum in Indonesia from the colonial period to the Reform Era, treating curriculum not merely as a list of subjects but as a dynamic construction shaped by religious authority, political change, state policy, pedagogical practice, and social demand. Using a qualitative approach based on literature analysis and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with madrasah educators and stakeholders, the study traces how madrasah negotiated their Islamic identity while responding to national educational expectations. Under colonialism, several reform-oriented madrasah selectively incorporated general subjects, while many traditional institutions still emphasized religious sciences. After independence, the establishment of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in 1946 laid the institutional foundation for formalizing madrasah. The New Order’s 1975 Joint Decree of Three Ministers aligned the madrasah curriculum more closely with public schools by increasing general subjects while preserving religious instruction. In the Reform Era, Law No. 20 of 2003 affirmed madrasah as part of the national education system, while subsequent policies encouraged diversification and competency-based learning. It concludes that the madrasah curriculum has evolved through continuous negotiation between Islamic tradition, state regulation, and modern educational demands, enabling madrasah to remain distinctive Islamic institutions while participating in national development.
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