"Through the freedom in learning (initiative), we, at the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry, prioritized efforts to improve the research ecosystem within education units," Minister Makarim stated during the opening of the 20th Youth Scientific Research and Innovation Week at the Graha Bakti Praja Building at the West Nusa Tenggara Governor Office in Mataram on Monday.
One of the ministry's methods to facilitate the improvement was by Matching Fund, a program that would pair a tertiary education unit with the industry in order to conduct research supported by the ministry through a fund matching scheme.
Matching fund was a form of the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry's support to encourage strategic collaboration between tertiary education and industrial entities.
In 2021, the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry funded over 450 proposals from both academic and vocational universities, with total assistance amounting to Rp280 billion (US$18.7 million)
As for students, in 2022, the ministry also continued its Kihajar STEM program (We Must Learn Science, Technology, Tech, Mathematics) as a means to develop and train critical thinking and creativity.
"Until today, more than 65 thousand students all across Indonesia participated in the program and have become a part of the Kihajar STEM program," he pointed out.
The program was a platform for students of elementary, middle, high, and vocational schools and their madrasa counterparts to exercise critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication in the process to develop STEM-based programs through the utilization of communication and information technology.
The participants will compete at the basic, intermediate, and final levels. The program aims to train students, so they would have skills, such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and good communication.
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Translator: Martha H S, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Suharto
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