The developmental role of scholarships in post-conflict Aceh: Challenges to creating a lasting peace

Abstract

This thesis focuses on graduate students from the province of Aceh, Indonesia who have been awarded tertiary scholarships to study overseas in either Australia or the Middle East. It examines how education scholarships offered by two different sources, the Aceh government and the Australian government, can contribute to social development and on-going peace in the province. The primary emphasis of this study is the scholarship journeys of the Acehnese graduates and how they have been influenced by their overseas experience. By utilising qualitative research methods data was collected during a six week field study in Aceh. The findings suggest that the groups of students have returned with divergent views on the contribution they are able to offer to their province and on the social and economic direction that Aceh is taking. The soft power influence of tertiary education from Australia and the Middle East is shaping the hearts and minds of graduates in different ways. Unemployment remains a significant issue for many as they struggle for their identity and with their frustrations, however for other returning students who studied in the Middle East the lack of obvious opportunity has meant they have become socially active in their community. Although this latter group of students may represent a 'religious elite‘, their social capital ethos seems to be more in tune with the less fortunate in Aceh society as opposed to graduates who have gone to Australia both through the Aceh government initiatives and with Australian Aid. These groups represent a human capital, some of whom are elites who are more concerned with how they directly benefit from Aceh‘s overall economic growth. As Aceh increasingly adopts Islamic Shariah law the ability of these two groups of graduates to find common social ground may be crucial to the province‘s peaceful development. Both parties expressed their desire for Aceh to be socially and economically developed and respectful of human rights. However, with Shariah growing stronger and economic development failing to 'trickle down‘ to those most vulnerable, it seems likely that Aceh will experience increased social divisions and greater challenges to the creation of a lasting peace.