New restrictions imposed on private Islamic universities
In an effort to avoid lecturers and students being left high and dry by universities closing due to an ‘oversupply’ of places at a burgeoning number of private Islamic colleges, the government has imposed strict restrictions in the past year on new private Islamic institutions and new study programmes within existing institutions.
Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population and around 1,155 Islamic higher education institutions, mainly teaching Islamic sciences. Only 97 are state-owned under the Religious Affairs Ministry. The remaining 1,058 are private.
An additional 3,250 Islamic institutions come under the Education and Culture Ministry, of which 122 are state-owned institutions teaching a broader curriculum than Islamic science.