International Journal of Indonesian Studies Volume 1, Issue 3 | Page 168

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN STUDIES
SPRING 2016
Lay Kim, Tan Bian Seng, Anton M Moeljono, St Munadjat Danusaputro, JE Tan, Ben MangReng Say. Atma Jaya stemmed from a Sanskrit word, which means ‘the glory of soul’. The
English Department was established in the Faculty of Education on June 1 st, 1961. The
second university was Universitas Katolik Sanata Darma in Yogyakarta. In 1955, Catholic
Priests of the Order of the Society of Jesus Central Java and other Catholic intellectuals
decided to establish a teacher training college. With the support from the Congretio de
Propaganda Fide, Father Kester, the Superior Jesuit Missionaries, united the diploma
courses in Education under de Britto Foundation in Yogyakarta and in English under the
Loyola Foundation in Semarang into a higher learning institution called PTPG Sanata Dharma
on October 20, 1955. English departments were established among other three
departments of Education, History and Natural Science. Sanata Dharma is a Sanskrit phrase,
means “the true dedication” or “the real service”, the dedication and the service have been
devoted to the nation and the church (Pro Patria et Eclessia).
Besides English being propagated by Christian-Catholics missionaries, the indigenous
nationalists and modern Islamists also played significant roles in the promotion of English
Departments. The first English Department in Indonesia was established on October 15th,
1949, in the second oldest university in Indonesia, Universitas Nasional (UNAS) Jakarta by
prominent western-educated indigenous nationalists: R Teguh Suhardjo Sastrosuwignyo,
Sutan Takdir Alisyahbana, Soedjono Hardjosoediro, Prof Sarwono Prawirohardjo, Prajitno
Soewondo, Hazil, Kwari Katjabrata, Dr Djoehana, RM Soebagjo, Adam Bachtiar, Ny
Noegroho, Drs Adam Bachtiar, Dr Bahder Djohan, Dr Leimena, Ir Abd Karm, Prof Dr Soetomo
Tjokronegoro, Ali Budiharjo Poerwodarminto, Soetikno, Ir TH A Resink, Dr Soemitro
Djojohadikusumo, Noegroho, Soejatmiko, HB Jassin, Mochtar Avin, L Damais, A Djoehana,
Nona Boediardjo and Nona Roekmini Singgih. The establishment of the university was aimed
to cater for graduates from senior high schools (Dutch MULO) who did not want to enter
into Dutch colonial Universiteit van Indonesie/Universiteit van Nederlands-Indie, established
in 1946, and which was then transformed by the government into the state-owned
university called Universitas Indonesia (UI) in February 2nd, 1950, when the Dutch handed
the university to the new Indonesian government. The first Faculty of Letters was actually
established by the Dutch in 1920 in which several Dutch intellectuals and western-educated
indigenous nationalists worked together to initiate Faculteit der Letteren en Wijsbegeerte in
the House of Rechts Hogesschool which could only be realized twenty years later on
December 4th, 1940. Instead of Dutch and other European languages, Bahasa Indonesia was
opted for as the first language department in the university to cultivate the nationalist spirit
in achieving independence. Bahasa Indonesia was also the language of instruction in three
other departments, namely Social Sciences, History, and Science on Nations. In 1942, the
Japan colonizer came and established their own education institutions in the university, and
surprisingly did not ban the Faculty of Letters while banning the teaching of Dutch and other
European languages. In 1954, Dutch and Chinese Language Departments were established.
The English Department was established later on.
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