Raising religious inherency: the role of interreligious competence in achieving religious education equality in multireligious public schools in Indonesia

Abstract

This case study examines the challenges in providing religious education (RE) for all religions in Indonesia in a variety of diverse settings. These challenges in RE equality include interreligious competence, especially the tendency for tolerance, as expressed from the perspectives of multireligious teachers and students in public schools. This study uses purposeful random sampling to examine elementary and junior high schools and reveal barriers to providing RE for all religions, especially in rural areas. A number of barriers, including the minimum number of students, lack of human resources, limited school budget, and area conditions, contribute to the lack of awareness in providing enough religious subject teachers for all religious students. These challenges influence the tendency for tolerance in RE inequality. The decision of Muslim and non-Muslim teachers and students to accept and respect these conditions is meant to create a peaceful school environment and to be conducive to learning. This acceptance and respect represent a tolerant attitude towards maintaining the coexistence of a multireligious society in the school context. This study suggests that interreligious competence in a multireligious society increases religious inherency.

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