Gandong School Management for Interfaith Collaborative Learning

Abstract

Religiously diverse schools require management models that transform difference into collaborative learning rather than merely maintaining formal tolerance. This study analyzes Gandong School Management as a locally grounded model of interfaith collaboration implemented by SMA Kristen Rehoboth Ambon and SMA Al-Hilaal Ambon. The study employed a qualitative multi-site design involving principals, teachers, administrative staff, students, and parents selected through snowball sampling. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and documentation of programs, meeting notes, student reflections, and the interschool memorandum of understanding. The data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis supported by thematic coding. The findings show that Gandong School Management was initiated through reflective leadership, cross-cultural religious literacy, and a formal interschool agreement. It was then institutionalized through task distribution, teacher coordination, student reflection, shared religious-cultural activities, collaborative projects, and stakeholder support. The program strengthened students' openness, tolerance, empathy, and intergroup interaction, while also improving teachers' collaborative professionalism and the inclusiveness of school services. The study concludes that Gandong School Management functions as a contextual form of collaborative school management that integrates local wisdom, interfaith literacy, and whole-school governance. The study implies that culturally rooted interschool partnerships can serve as a practical strategy for peace education and multicultural school leadership.