Preventing Terrorism Through Early Childhood Education in Indonesia: A Policy Analysis

Terrorism prevention is often focused on adolescents, even though it is true that the use of children in terrorist acts is a global issue. Few studies do discuss the prevention of terrorism in early childhood, a critical phase or golden age that is instrumental in the formation of a child's character. This research is a case study that is developed based on the emergence of nursery books in Indonesia containing radical words, such as "bomb", "jihad", "bantai" (slaughter) which have been the subject for developing the Anti-Violence Movement at School policy. It is a policy analysis that aims to provide critical input for policy improvement, which is especially pertinent given the lack of existing research on the subject matter in Indonesia. The data are analysed using Bell and Stevenson (2013) framework for policy analysis, which has four analytical themes concerning the translation from policy development to enactment. Based on the analysis, it is found that terrorism prevention through early childhood education (ECE) policy in Indonesia is vague in its meaning and objectives, as well as fails to define the basic notion of "terrorism" itself. The government expects the policy to be a community-led movement, but it turns out that the implementation is still characterised by a top-down approach. At the enactment phase, ECE centres see no urgency in integrating the policy with their centre's vision and mission, because they believe that the policy will not last sustainably at its operation. Surprisingly, the government does not provide any specific training for teachers, nor the budget to implement the policy.