Graduate Program in English Language Studies, Sanata Dharma University

Title and Précis:

The Rise and Fall of Catholic Education in Indonesia: Is There Democracy in Our Schools?

     Indonesian Catholic schools have experienced a decrease in attendance over the past few decades because of non-subsidiary quality teachers, prestigious public school opportunities, alternative abilities to prepare students for top universities, and democratization. Three pertinent questions arise from this phenomenon.  First, how does Catholic education in Indonesia conceptualize democracy?  Second, to what extent has Catholic education thus far helped influence the public policy making in democratic issues? Finally, what is the social praxis of the Catholic education today with regard to democracy?  Interviews will be conducted in order to gather information concerning student experience and the light it sheds on Catholic and democratic education in Indonesia.

Biography:

     Having earned her Doctoral degree in Southeast Asian Studies from the National University of Singapore in 2005, Novita Dewi currently teaches English Language Studies in the Graduate Program at Sanata Dharma University.  She received the 2007 ASIA Fellows Awards for conducting research on the Peoples Theatre for Peace and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Her research interests include postcolonial literatures, popular culture, and language education.