The Doctoral Programme in Educational Sciences at the Graduate School of Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) was established in 2006, based on the Decree of the Director General of Higher Education No. 3039/D/T/2006 dated 16 August 2006 concerning the establishment of the programme.

The establishment of this doctoral programme was driven by the recognition that educational thought and practice in Indonesia had long relied on concepts “borrowed” from other countries. This tendency limited the capacity of educators and practitioners to reflect on and build educational theories and practices rooted in Indonesia’s own philosophical, cultural, social, and historical foundations. As a result, many educational policies and practices have not produced the expected outcomes.

What has become increasingly important is the exploration and understanding of Indonesia’s rich indigenous philosophical, historical, and socio-cultural foundations of educational thought, pioneered and practiced by both local and national education actors, while at the same time engaging with global educational theories. This dual orientation aims to strengthen Indonesia’s educational foundations while enabling active participation in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing global landscape.