"I urge higher education leaders to be more committed in creating a university with a high reputation," the minister noted in an official statement received here, Thursday.
The minister remarked that universities, with high reputation, would be realized through providing international-standard teaching and highly qualified lecturers.
According to Makarim, this effort will attract foreign students to study in Indonesian universities and be able to establish cooperation with foreign universities having good reputation.
The minister called to put in these efforts on account of the fact that students will face far more complex challenges when they graduate from university.
These challenges are in the form of the development of automation technology that replaces the role of humans (Artificial Intelligence or AI), increasingly dynamic global situations and conditions, as well as climate change, in addition to other global issues, he remarked.
These challenges call for the need for a major overhaul in the world of higher education, including through the Independent Learning Independent Campus effort that has been ongoing for the last three years, Makarim noted.
He stated that currently, 420 thousand students have partaken in the Independent Learning Independent Campus program, both in flagship programs from the ministry or programs initiated by universities.
Independent Learning is an approach adopted by the ministry to allow students in choosing subjects that align with their interests, while Independent Campus is a policy issued by the ministry by giving rights to students to take up courses outside their study program for one semester and activities outside college for two semesters.
The ministry's Acting Director General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology, Nizam, emphasized that universities must get out of their comfort zone, as destruction in the world of education is occurring at an increasingly rapid pace.
Universities must be innovative, creative, focus on the graduates' qualities, and collaborate with all stakeholders, he stated.
In addition, universities must hone their abilities to remain relevant and exist to bring about changes and not be left behind, Nizam stated.
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Translator: Astrid Faidlatul H, Resinta S
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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