To that end, President Prabowo on Thursday convened 1,200 professors in the social sciences and humanities, along with deans and rectors from universities across the country, at the State Palace in Jakarta on Thursday to discuss a range of issues, including improving the quality of higher education and increasing the number of medical doctors.
“We recognize that our Constitution mandates us to educate the life of the nation, and one way to achieve that is through education at the university level. Therefore, where possible, we are calculating how these universities can advance and improve in quality without imposing a financial burden on the public or on students,” said Cabinet Secretary Prasetyo Hadi.
Prasetyo Hadi, commonly known as Pras, added that the issue of improving the quality of higher education had previously been discussed by deans, rectors and professors together with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology.
“We are calculating and considering how to reduce operational costs at each of our universities,” the Cabinet Secretary said.
In addition to higher education quality, the dialogue also addressed strategies to increase the number of doctors in Indonesia.
“Based on the data, we are still short of more than 100,000 doctors. This means we need to find ways to accelerate the process,” Pras said.
The entire series of events, held at the central courtyard of the State Palace, was conducted behind closed doors. The meeting began at 9:00 a.m. local time and included a briefing by President Prabowo followed by a dialogue session.
In his briefing, President Prabowo provided the latest information on domestic conditions as well as geopolitical developments in the region and globally, and their implications for Indonesia.
“This meeting with the professors is part of the President’s agenda as head of state and head of government to engage in discussions and convey his views, updates on the condition of our country and the geopolitical situation, as well as the major plans we need to undertake going forward,” Pras said.
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Translator: Genta, Azis Kurmala
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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