Informal learning: A case study of local curriculum development in Indonesia

Conclusion

This paper has examined the informal learning of the Lamaholot people, a relatively small cultural community living in the regency of Flores Timur in eastern Indonesia. The informal learning in Lamaholot areas is different from the formal learning imposed by a central educational board in Jakarta. Informal learning is part of everyday life, and is used to preserve Lamaholot culture, while the formal learning is designed to help students participate in modern economic activities, even though it threatens the survival of the local culture.

In order to build a school system that promotes both the acquisition of new knowledge and the preservation of Lamaholot culture, the incorporation of informal approaches into formal learning becomes a necessity. Models and strategies discussed in this paper indicate that it is feasible to implement such an integrated approach. Certainly it is better to try and fuse the traditional with the modern, rather than to perpetuate the imposition of an exclusive national curriculum that is detrimental to the development of local Lamaholot culture. By giving the Lamaholot people the right to preserve their culture within the context of the school, Lamaholot children will be able to acquire modern knowledge without losing their cultural identity.