| dc.description.abstract | This study compares the religious education (RE) curriculum policy in England
and Indonesia focusing on state schools. It explores political, socio-cultural and
religious principles informing the curricula, and investigates topical issues within the
particular type of RE being promoted. The learning and teaching strategies employed to
engage students with the curriculum are also discussed. We assert that multicultural and
critical approaches need to be employed in educating pupils, in order to raise awareness
of their responsibility to work toward more harmonious and prosperous societies. In
practice, the writing uses content analysis by investigating policy documents issued by
various government agencies. It is demonstrated that both countries politically support
RE as a subject projected to build up social cohesion. In terms of religious principles, RE
in England includes multiple religions and even non-religions such as Humanism in the
curriculum, while RE in Indonesia has a mono-religious focus. RE in Indonesia only
teaches pupils about their own faith and religious identity, whereas RE in England offers
information about various religious and non-religious philosophies or life-orientations. In
brief, RE in England employs religious and non-religious exploration to build a broad
knowledge of many religions, while RE in Indonesia tends to endorse religious judgment
and commitment. This suggests that Indonesia and England have divergent views
regarding the multi-cultural understand that is constructed by the two curricula. The
multicultural and critical approaches discussed in the study are offered as tools to
develop strategies to improve RE curricula so as to produce students with greater religious
and cultural competence | en_US |
