sub theme : education

EDUCATION PROBLEMS OF THE DUTCH INDIA: THE GAAP IN INDONESIA'S

EDUCATION POLICY 1800-1920 AND THEIR ROLE
IN THE NOW
Rismawati, 3101420024, 2021
Universitas Negeri Semarang

Abstract
The education policy implemented in Indonesia in 1800-1920 experienced a very visible gap.
The educational gap is experienced by indigenous children who get facilities that are less
appropriate in terms of curriculum, room and others compared to Dutch children. This essay
will discuss the background of the birth of education in Indonesia, the gaps in the education
policies provided, and the role of education in the 1800-1920s in the present. The existence of
gaps in the education policy provided made the presence of many problems between the
Dutch population and the indigenous population, especially among the priyayi and the
indigenous aristocrats. This educational gap can be seen from the existence of special
schools for Dutch children and special schools for indigenous children, with the provision of
different curricula, different facilities and only special schools for Dutch children who can
continue to a higher level, at this time. Racism is very high among Dutch and indigenous
children, even among indigenous children, racism is also present. However, education
policies in the period 1800-1920 produced several things that can still be used and form the
basis of education today.

Keywords : education,implemented,facilities
 CHAPTER 1 :
PRELIMINARY

Education makes it one of the ways to make a country a more developed and
developed country. With education, humans can find the personality, potential, and talents
that exist within them. During the colonial rule in the Dutch East Indies, after the archipelago
was completely controlled by them, the colonial government began to establish schools in the
Dutch East Indies around the 1800s. The schools that were built turned out to be divided into
several classes and had differences, schools between indigenous people and non-indigenous
people were clearly separated or distinguished.

The presence of the education system in the Dutch East Indies was initially not so
thoroughly and completely conceptualized, but the colonial government presented it
gradually and tested it first. The emergence of this education system was also driven by the
needs of the colonial government itself which was influenced by political, social, economic
conditions in the Netherlands and also in the Dutch East Indies. In more detail, initially this
education was only provided to meet the needs of Dutch employees and their families who
needed training and education, both in terms of general knowledge and specific knowledge
about Indonesia. Furthermore, besides being influenced by these conditions, the presence of
the education system in the Dutch East Indies was also influenced by events outside the
Nederland and Dutch East Indies, more precisely driven by events that occurred in Asia
which made the education system in the Dutch East Indies more conceptualized. and more
complete.

Therefore, this paper is made to criticize the presence of gaps in policy delivery in
Indonesian education in the 1800s – 1920s and the impact of these policies today from my
point of view as a student of history. This theme is quite interesting because most people only
see the negative side given by the colonial government in the world of education but very few
realize that the presence of a complete education system today is inseparable from the
influence and basis of the education system presented by the colonial government in the past.
especially in the years 1800-1920.
 CHAPTER II :
DISCUSSION

A. Provision of Different Policies

The education system that was present in the Dutch East Indies was first
introduced by the VOC when it already controlled most of the Dutch East Indies. The
VOC started education in the Dutch East Indies beginning with administrative
centralization in the eastern part of Indonesia and in Batavia (Jakarta) and the
establishment of the first school in Ambon in 1607, it turns out that the establishment
of a school in Ambon has its own purpose, namely to eliminate Catholicism and
spread Protestantism. The education system that was created in stages made the
curriculum the first time in the regulations in 1893 which explained that the school
consisted of 8 subjects. Prior to 1893 and 1892 low schools did not have a uniform
curriculum, although in the 1871 regulations there were instructions that determined
school activities and there were 4 subjects that were required to exist, namely writing,
reading, arithmetic, and language lessons (Malay or English). area ). Initially these
schools were only intended for Dutch children living in Indonesia and those from the
lower classes were exempted from school fees because at that time the colonial
government needed additional workers who had educational backgrounds with low
wages. Because it was felt to be lacking in getting employees and looking for
employees who could be given even lower wages, the colonial government also
provided special schools for indigenous children and that was still the upper
indigenous class, such as the priyayi group who could study with Dutch children.
In Dutch children's schools the facilities, buildings, teachers and curricula
are well available because they are managed by the colonial government, but not for
private schools for indigenous children who are still independent they learn with
makeshift equipment and do not have a curriculum that makes indigenous children's
schools have no stability and can not continue to college. Although there are many
schools that can make their students continue their education to higher education, but
the access of the Bumiputera to get into these high schools is very difficult because
these schools only take a few students from the Bumiputera group and even then only
children from families. priyayi or aristocrats who can be accepted in these schools.
One of the causes of this gap is that of course the colonial government did not want
the large number of indigenous intellectuals who could threaten the existence of the
 colonial government in the Dutch East Indies and at least the Bumiputera who were
accepted in Dutch schools were motivated by the colonial government's goal of using
the Dutch East Indies nobility as a group. elites who are different from other
indigenous peoples and will later become or be given positions in the government by
being indoctrinated in a westernized style to make it easier for them to use them and
this became one of the strategies of the colonial government so that they were more
free to do colonialism.
B. The Important Role Given by Education in the Year 1800-1920 in the Present
Most people will talk more about the negative side of the colonial
government such as poverty, hunger, injustice, oppression and others. However,
behind all these negative things, there is still a positive side that the colonial
government has given to the Indonesian state at this time. Apart from the success of
the VOC in uniting the archipelago which is now Indonesia and the existence of
adequate infrastructure, there is one thing that is given in the field of education in
Indonesia, namely the current Indonesian education system is basically the education
system that existed in 1800-1920. in Indonesia where the system was created by the
colonial government.
Indonesia took the basis or reference for its education system from the
policies implemented by the colonial government in 1800-1920 because Indonesia did
not have a reference or basis for education from the start, unlike Europeans they had
their own reference or education system basis, namely they took the basis of Greek
civilization. as well as from Roman civilization. Many things are used as a reference
by the current Indonesian education system, for example, the pattern of Elementary
Schools in the colonial period was determined by the ELS (Europese Lagere School)
which is 7 years of schooling which in the current era of Elementary Schools is 6
years, another example is the sustainability of every school level, starting from
elementary school to tertiary level and until finally it can be used to work both in
government and private circles and of course this system is very useful and used by
the current government because this gives certainty about what will happen and what
would it be like if someone continued their schooling.
 CHAPTER III
CLOSING

Most of the evidence that is known to the general public is that there was indeed a
gap in the education provided to Dutch children and indigenous children in 1800-1920, in
fact the gap in education is still happening today. In the past, the gap occurred because
special schools for indigenous children were still independent of each other and there were no
further levels that could be accessed, in contrast to Dutch schools which were more
conceptualized and more complete and there was clarity about the sustainability of their
schools. In addition to different school conditions, differences also occur when indigenous
children want to be able to enter Dutch children's schools because of the completeness and
interest in Dutch children's schools, but it is unfortunate that indigenous children are very
difficult to get into. Dutch children's school because of the policies implemented by the
colonial government at that time. One of the causes is the colonial government's fear of the
enthusiasm of the Bumiputera children in school which could threaten the existence of the
colonial government in the archipelago.

Although, the education policy in the year 1800-1920 in the Dutch East Indies
experienced gaps and it was difficult for indigenous children to get an education overall, but
in the years 1800-1920 this became the forerunner of the education system in Indonesia
today. Historians, teachers and the general public should be able to do more research related
to the government during the colonial period in Indonesia, which apparently did not all have a
negative impact and harm the Indonesian nation.
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