Education and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy said on Saturday that educators should encourage multicultural dialogues with students to teach students to embrace diversity.

At an annual meeting of Catholic educational institutions in Jayapura, Papua, on Saturday, Muhadjir said he supported educational institutions’ initiatives to integrate diversity values in their teachings.

“Every educator has a responsibility to create a multicultural environment [at schools]. It should be their responsibility,” Muhadjir said in a statement.

Read also: I appreciate what Catholic schools have done for multiculturalism: Minister Muhadjir

Muhadjir cited as an example that accusing other people of intolerance for wearing religious clothing and symbols was not a good thing to do.

“We need transparency and dialogue to look for solutions together,” Muhadjir said.

Chairman of the National Catholic Education Council Rev. Darmin appreciated Muhadjir’s efforts for integrating character-building values in the ministry’s programs.

“We believe that character-building should embrace [the country’s] reality of multiculturalism. Papua itself is a reflection of diversity. Any form of education that leaves out local culture will soon lose its roots,” he said.

The annual National Catholic Education Council working meeting was attended by 300 participants representing Catholic educational institutions from 37 different dioceses nationwide.

Editor's note: The heading of this article has been updated to clarify Muhadjir's statement.

TOPICS Education MuhadjirEffendy