Hundreds of students in Yogyakarta have conveyed their pledge to uphold tolerance and maintain unity amid growing religious tension and sectarianism.

In Bantul, a headmaster of a state high school was reported to have refused to support issues related to tolerance and Pancasila. It was also reported that he initially refused to send his school’s students to attend the Declaration of Tolerant Yogyakarta Students on Monday.

“After we advised him, we finally agreed on sending representatives from his school,” said Halili, head of the Citizenship Education Laboratory at Yogyakarta State University (UNY).

Around 300 senior and junior high school students from 27 schools attended the declaration, themed “Tolerance is Pancasila”, at Pancasila Park, UNY.

The event was jointly held by UNY’s School of Social Sciences, UNY's Pancasila and Constitution Study Center, Setara Institute and the Asian Muslim Action Network (Aman).

Fight for tolerance: Students of a school in Yogyakarta sign a large banner to show their support for tolerance during the Declaration of Tolerant Yogyakarta Students event at Yogyakarta State University's (UNY) Pancasila Park on Aug. 28. 

Fight for tolerance: Students of a school in Yogyakarta sign a large banner to show their support for tolerance during the Declaration of Tolerant Yogyakarta Students event at Yogyakarta State University's (UNY) Pancasila Park on Aug. 28. (JP/Bambang Muryanto)

At the event, the students read out the declaration, which states their commitment to respecting and upholding diversity, fighting against violence, promoting tolerance in their social intercourse and taking care of Yogyakarta as a province of plurality.

“This is to respond to intolerance teachings that have entered our education world in the last 10 years and, all this time, we have allowed this situation to continue to happen,” said Halili.

Research conducted by Setara Institute shows that, currently, Indonesia has produced increasingly intolerant students because of the spread of extremist teachings. The research, conducted in 2016, involved 171 schools in Bandung, West Java, and Jakarta. (ebf)

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by Bambang Muryanto

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