Should the school uniform decree be realized?
3 ministers, namely the Minister of Religion, the Minister of Education and Culture, and the Minister of Home Affairs in February 2021 issued a Joint Decree (SKB) on school uniforms and attributes for public primary and secondary schools ("Isi", 2021). This Joint Decree contains the right of teachers and students to choose whether or not they want to use the religious specific clothing attribute and the elimination of the prohibition and obligation to use religious-specific attributes or uniforms in schools. The issuance of this letter was based on the case of a school in West Sumatra which obliged all female students, both Muslim and non-Muslim, to wear a hijab and Muslim clothing ("Perjalanan", 2021). However, this SKB was revoked or cancelled by the Supreme Court (Mahkamah Agung) because it was deemed contrary to higher regulations ("Perjalanan", 2021).
The formation of this 3 ministerial decision certainly reaps pros and cons from various parties. Those who are pro, support the government's action to eliminate the obligation to wear religious clothing and give the right to use it or not to every individual in school, that individual, namely teachers and students. Those who contra, agreed with the Supreme Court's decision because they felt the SKB would contradict religious values where Indonesian students, especially female students, had long been taught to wear closed or muslim clothes at school.
Apart from arguments and opinions from the contra, we must know that Indonesia's population is very diverse, and we really appreciate this diversity because as it is interpreted by Bhineka Tunggal Ika, even though we come from various backgrounds, we are still one, that is the Indonesian nation. Devie Rahmawati, a social observer from the University of Indonesia on the Mediaindonesia.com page said that the SKB issued by 3 ministers should be supported because it shows the spirit of teaching tolerance between religious communities in schools. She also explained that there was nothing wrong with students wearing various religious clothes at school because in fact no one wanted to be forced to use the attributes of a religion that we do not profess ("SKB", 2021). For this reason, we can realize this diversity through the SKB 3 minister, which should not oblige students from different religious backgrounds to become one in an attribute or clothing, for example like Muslim clothes that usually worn on Friday in school. Through this SKB, both schools and the government can show the importance of respecting national diversity and tolerance to students in every school.
This decree also shows that Indonesia is a democratic country and upholds the value of human rights. Through this 3 ministerial decision, many parties hope that wearing religious clothing is the right of students and teachers in schools. Every individual in a school of various religions is given the right to choose to keep wearing religious clothing or not to wear it. Retno Listyarti, Commissioner of KPAI for Education on the news.detik.com page explained that every individual in school should be given the right to choose their own religious uniform because this is a reflection of human rights and vice versa if there is a ban on choosing or the obligation to wear uniforms of specific religion, it will violate human rights (Rahayu, 2021). So, there are no more cases where a student is forced to use the religious attributes of a religion they do not profess.
Implementing this new regulation is indeed not easy, because it has been a long time since there have been regulations regarding school uniforms and attributes in Indonesia. However, the Joint Decree by the 3 ministers can slowly be implemented in schools in Indonesia, because through this decree it can reflect the Indonesian state that have a spirit of tolerance and Democracy.
REFERENCES
"Isi SKB 3 Menteri soal Seragam Sekolah yang Dibatalkan MA". (2021). Cnnindonesia.com. Retrieved on 15 May, 2021
"Perjalanan SKB 3 Menteri Seragam Sekolah Hingga Dibatalkan". (2021). Cnnindonesia.com. Retrieved on 15 May, 2021
"SKB 3 Menteri Wujud Toleransi Antaragama di Sekolah". (2021). Mediaindonesia.com. Retrieved on 15 May, 2021
Rahayu, Lisye Sri. (2021). KPAI soal SKB Seragam Sekolah: Menghentikan Aturan yang Diskriminatif. News.detik.com. Retrieved on 16 May, 2021
