Liberalization in education: A threat or a necessity.

(From The Jakarta Post)

Byline: Rudijanto, Contributor, Jakarta

Domestic universities and other tertiary education institutions may feel threatened by the liberalization of education as proposed by the World Trade Organization in the framework of the General Agreement on Trade Services (GATS), which will allow for the operation of foreign universities in Indonesia, but the demand for quality education continues to grow.

Last December, in a meeting with the House of Representatives, the Indonesian Dean's Forum (FRI) appealed to the legislature to prevent the planned liberalization of the education sector, particularly because the agreement on trade services did not involve officials from the education department or any education institution.

Representing state-run and private universities and other tertiary education institutions in Indonesia, the FRI has repeatedly voiced concerns over the inclusion of education in GATS. The deans strongly rejected the classification of education as a national commodity to be included in GATS.

Some countries, …