Jakarta (WNAM MONITORING): Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Brian Yuliarto, on Thursday conveyed the government’s commitment to turn universities into centers of research and innovation and thereby, build national industrial independence.
During a meeting attended by President Prabowo Subianto and hundreds of rectors from state universities (PTN) and private universities (PTS), Yuliarto informed that the government has allocated Rp2 trillion (US$117 million) for research.
The funds will be sourced from the state budget, the Endowment Fund for Education Agency (LPDP), and industrial cooperation, he said.
“This is an important milestone in a joint effort to make universities a center for innovation and a producer of superior human resources. We want Indonesia to be on par with developed countries and escape the middle-income trap,” the minister added.
Besides research funds, the government also plans to improve lecturers’ quality by increasing the number of doctoral graduates.
According to the minister, Indonesia currently has 4,416 universities, consisting of 125 state universities, 2,812 private universities, 1,309 religious universities, and 170 Higher Education Service Institutions Region V.
Meanwhile, the number of active students across Indonesia has reached 9.967 million, with a total of 303,067 lecturers teaching at various universities, he added.
Based on the latest data, only 25 percent of the total lecturers have completed their doctoral education. Therefore, the government will increase the number of doctoral graduates and make it one of the priority programs of the Ministry of Education and Technology.
Yuliarto then affirmed the government’s commitment to allocating salaries and allowances worth Rp18.7 trillion (US$1.1 billion) for more than 303 thousand lecturers in Indonesia.
The government has also launched the Garuda School program (Sekolah Garuda) at four locations this year, which will come up as centers for developing the nation’s best talents.
The program is expected to produce superior generations who are ready to compete at the global level, the minister said.
As part of its commitment to increasing access to higher education, the government has allocated Rp15.43 trillion for scholarships for more than one million students to ensure accessible higher education to all levels of society, he said.
The government is optimistic that with these steps, Indonesian universities can become the driving force for research and innovation, as well as support national industrial progress, Yuliarto disclosed.
