The aims and objectives of architectural education in Indonesia have not been clearly focused. It would be appear that many graduates seem to lack the practical and professional skills they should have. The success of schools of architecture tends to be measured by the quantity rather than the quality of students. Educational institutions seem to be overwhelmed by business orientation rather than informed by educational values. In this era one cannot argue that there is not a natural relationship between investment in education and economic success. However, if business orientation is the major objective of education, it will lose its significant values, such as its professional orientation or even its humanitarianism. It becomes apparent that many factors determine the quality and success of architectural education but without some overall aims and humanitarian missions the various elements would lose their significance and coherence. This paper addresses the dichotomy between the aims and missions and the practical reality of schools of architecture in Indonesia. It provides an overall picture of the aims, their priority and the interrelationships between each component needed in teaching and learning in schools of architecture in Indonesia. It is broadly philosophical, although the line between philosophizing and making practical recommendations is now much more blurred than it was, even twenty years ago. Through this paper it is obvious that a clear understanding of the new defined aims and missions and how they can be implemented in teaching and learning is paramount. Without this understanding educational reform in architecture might be misleading and may lose its educational value in general