Background
Internationalization is an emerging trend in the development of higher education institutions (HEIs). It has become the goal of many academic presidents, rectors, or vice-chancellors. Around the world, projects, university associations, and collaboration programs are launched to enhance the internationalization of higher education institution, such as China 211 Project, Brain Korea 21 Project, and Japan’s Global 30 Project, NAFSA: Association of International Educators in U.S.A., and Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI) in Latin America (Foskett, 2010; De Witt & Callan, 1995; Teichler, 2005). A study by Henard, Diamond, and Roseveare (2012) on the perceptions and experiences of the members of the OECD Higher Education Programme (IMHE) towards internationalization revealed that both HEIs and government consider internationalization a significant factor for development. They believe that it will lead to innovation, modernization of the pedagogy, collaboration, and stimulation of new approaches to learning assessment.
According to Jane Knight (2008), internationalization is a process of integrating international, intercultural, or global dimension into the purpose, functions, or delivery of higher education at the institutional and national level. It is an ongoing and continuous readjustment of the system (Knight, 2004; Luijten-Lub, 2007) and a change of internal dynamics of a HEIs (Ellingboe in Bartell, 2003) to internalize international dimensions. With the increasing attempts for internationalization, more and more higher education institutions implement international activities such as improving the standards of educational delivery to international level, promoting international linkages through research, academic mobility for students and staffs (Oyewale, 2009), encouraging international participation, and reducing curricular parochialism (Mauch & Spaulding, 1992). The result of internationalization is to enable HEIs to be responsive to the challenges put forward by globalization as well as to enrich the competitive advantage and survive the global competition.
Universities in Indonesia also embark on internationalization. According to Ainun Na’im, a Secretary-General for Higher Education at Ministry of Education and Culture (Humas UGM, 2009), internationalization is an inevitable process and considered as a strategic step that Indonesian government should take in the globalizing world, especially after the ratification of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) in 1994. Following, the Government of Indonesia revises and produces policy and legal documents to promote international education in Indonesia, to guarantee a good practice of mobility, and to support the balance of outbound and inbound students. Law Number 20 of 2003 on National Education System1 sets the purpose of education system as to create quality, relevant, and globally competitive education for the betterment of Indonesian society. To achieve this goal and to cope with the challenges presented by globalization, the government upgrades the standard of national education and adapts to international standard. Consequently, in 2005 the government produces Government Regulation Number 19 of 2005 on National Standard of Education2. The regulation emphasizes that global environment should be taken into account in creating the standard of national education (Article 2), establishment of internationally-oriented secondary education in each province in Indonesia and one international higher education institution is necessary (Article 61), and 3) educational institutions will be evaluated in term of their performance at global level (Article 83).
To support the implementation of internationalization agenda, the government produces Higher Education Long Term Strategy (HELTS) and the Ministry of National Education Strategic Plan 2010-2014 (hereinafter referred to as 2010-2014 MONE Renstra). The first document perceives internationalization as a means to increase national competitiveness (Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi, 2004); whilst the second document emphasizes that the way to internationalize the HEIs in Indonesia is by enhancing the institutional competitiveness at both national and global level. In addition, the government expands the higher educational autonomy. The Law Number 12 of 2012 on Higher Education3 certifies the right of HEIs to administer independently their academic activities; organize their teaching, research and service function; and generate external income from society with upholding the principles of public accountability.
In the last fifteen years, internationalization of HEIs has been studied and become a trending topic in Indonesia. Previous analyses on the internationalization of Indonesian higher education mainly focus on the reasons and strategies of internationalization (see Zulfa 2012; Hakim, 2013; Nayono, 2012), the government’s role in the process of internationalization in Indonesia (see Soejaminah, 2009), and the strategy for internationalization (see Effendi, n.d.; Fuadi, 2016). Very view study focuses on the national policy on higher education internationalization. Trondal, Gornitzka, and Gulbrandsen (2003) argue that the study of the internationalization of higher education should heavily focus on the political-executive level including analysis of the national policy reforms. They believe a political-executive level is a meeting place of long term planning and execution of policies for internationalization. With this regard, this study analyzes the national policy on internationalization of higher education in Indonesia from a normative juridical approach.4 In specific, this study aims 1) to know if legislation in Indonesia supports the internationalization of higher education, 2) to know the extent to which the provisions contained in the legislation support internationalization, and 3) to highlight the effective implementation of the regulations.