Education and Society – Study Visit to Bappenas
by Ihsan-Isah Imam Zaman
On Tuesday June 17, 2025, the Batch 4 MA students of the Faculty of Education at Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia (UIII) have successfully conducted their study visit to the Ministry of National Development Planning, also known as Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional (BAPPENAS). This wonderful opportunity is largely thanks to the strong collaboration between BAPPENAS and UIII in their efforts to improve the quality of higher education and research in Indonesia. This study visit is part of the learning experience of the students that will help them gain an improved understanding of the course Education and Society.
As a Muslim-Filipino who has been fortunate enough to be part of the Faculty of Education in UIII, I am very grateful to have been part of this learning experience. Personally, I have not even been to the equivalent government agency of BAPPENAS in the Philippines. That is why I could not help but try to maximize the experience as much as possible. As an aspiring researcher interested in policymaking, education and research in national level, this study visit has been quite rewarding and beneficial.
The study visit has reminded me of when I was applying to UIII as a postgraduate student. When I was writing my motivation letter, I was trying to bare my passion and dedication to the common good through my writing. Somehow, I find myself consistent in my belief that education has really powerful impact in turning the life of an individual or community for good. Without a single doubt in my mind, I strongly believe in the power, importance and value of teachers and educators in improving the condition of society and empowering individuals.
From my personal encounters in my country, I have seen firsthand how expensive it is to be poor, especially in education. I have observed how some marginalized people seem to have been forgotten by the vast majority. Despite the existing government policies, there seems to be no improvement at all. I used to wonder if it is simply a phenomenon of social apathy or some communities are just bound to experience social exclusion. These reflections may not fully represent what truly drives me to pursue higher studies, but one thing I have realized is that I need to learn more— because passion and intention alone cannot bring about tangible change.
In the faculty of education, it is mandatory for the MA students to take the course Education and Society. In this course, we are learning about the relationship between education and other disciplines that contribute to social development and shape social progress. We learn how politics, culture, society and religion influence education and also how education affects them in return. To be honest, this course has truly helped me develop a more structured way of thinking about the factors that affect education. Prior to starting my postgraduate study, the way I think was often either too one-dimensional or too scattered. Somehow, I knew that there were various factors at play but my grasp of them was still immature.
Talking more about the study visit, we first went to the gallery of BAPPENAS. Inside the gallery, we have been captivated by the simple but meaningful displays that help us visualize the past, present and future endeavors of BAPPENAS. During that brief tour, we have been introduced to the key events and figures of the ministry. The artistic representation of their works is all interesting but what caught my attention the most was the section about Blue Economy. This concept is relatively new for me and even in the Philippines this is still in emerging stage.
Why did I get hooked on the Blue Economy when I should be focusing on issues and trends in Education? I guess it is because, in some way, this concept speaks to my identity. First of all, I am from a tribe whose name is derived from a term that means ‘The people of the lake’. Then growing up, I keep hearing the stories about my grandparents being fishers. My father used to help my grandfather fish for a living, which helped support his and his siblings’ education. People do not choose the circumstances or reality that they will be born into, but the social contract demands that those who take on political power have a responsibility to craft and implement policies that support people from all walks and conditions of life. In this regard, education plays a crucial and irreplaceable role.
Afterwards, we also had a brief but comprehensive lecture from BAPPENAS about the process of education policymaking, which involved not only rich theoretical discussions but also practical insights. There were a lot of topics covered and my batchmates raised interesting questions that were appreciated by the experts for their critical relevance. I would like to highlight the topic about out of school children because it is quite an important issue in education especially when we talk about the idea of no child left behind or better yet, no one left behind. In our first semester, I used to talk about juvenile delinquency and out of school youth which I previously struggle to find similar topic about in Indonesian context. Thanks to this session, I found out that similar topics are being studied by some of my batchmates and it also align with the current efforts of BAPPENAS. From my perspective, the impact of social exclusion can be felt from as early as childhood. This is why there are more researchers highlighting the importance of early childhood education.
Our batch is truly grateful for the iniative of the Faculty of Education and our lecturer in this course, Dr. Amich Alhumami, Ph.D, who also serves as the Deputy Minister for Human Development and Cultural affairs. Placing this session near the end of the course and semester has helped us connect theoretical insights with practical experience. I have come to understand more clearly that the broader the scope of the research, the more it needs not only a high level of expertise, but also empathy and a strong sense of humanity. The greater the scope, the more people are involved, and the more lives affected by its outcomes.