Affirming Difference

• Main Author: HOON, Chang Yau
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2010
• Subjects: education; Indonesia; Christian schools; ethnic identity; Chinese; Asian Studies; Race and Ethnicity
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/975; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/2230/viewcontent/auto_convert.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Elite Christian schools in Indonesia can become places where religious, ethnic and class identities are heightened, particularly in relation to the nation’s ethnic Chinese. Exceptional academic performance, faith education, strict discipline and a safe environment are some of the factors that attract ethnic Chinese to enrol their children into elite Christian schools in Indonesia. In fact, these schools have become a thriving business across major cities, generating handsome profits from the provision of high quality education. They are generally attended by Chinese Indonesian students from a middle and upper class background. The schools are equipped with much better facilities than most schools in Indonesia and charge a considerable fee - sometimes in US or Singapore dollars. Parents do not seem to mind paying a premium for the excellent academic reputation enjoyed by the schools.