Old universities should rejuvenate themselves by updating old curriculums, learning systems, management, and strategies to stay competitive at the current time.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has asked higher education institutions not to fence or limit disciplines or subjects too rigidly so that learning can stay relevant to the dynamics of industrial needs.

"Don't be too stiff on the disciplines (subjects). If so, not only the graduates who try to build their future will face challenges, but also the universities, where they cannot build relevance to a world that is being disrupted," Jokowi stressed at a virtual Campus Convention XVII and Indonesian Rectors Forum Annual Meeting XXIII year 2021, which he joined from Jakarta on Tuesday.

All kinds of professions today need graduates who have hybrid knowledge and skills, he noted.

"Old universities should rejuvenate themselves by updating old curriculums, learning systems, management, and strategies to stay competitive at the current time," he advised.

For young universities, this is a golden opportunity to use fresh methods with modern curriculums and management models, he said.

"Young universities are not burdened to discard outdated work traditions. New universities have the opportunity to apply state-of-the-art systems, advanced curriculum, and contemporary management models," Jokowi explained.

"Today's era, which is often disrupted by technology, will give space and possibilities to (educational) newcomers," he pointed out.

Therefore, campuses need to be more progressive and build new working or learning systems so that college graduates come out as competitive human resources and are able to help Indonesia surpass other countries, he said.

"The government is working hard to develop a conducive policy ecosystem in creating new, more productive, and efficient methods. I hope that higher education institutions should be more progressive in building new systems to prepare our students' future, and to ready Indonesia to be ahead of other countries," the President affirmed.

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Translator: Indra P, Kenzu T
Editor: Sri Haryati
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