"Students should understand that they need to have a degree that is globally recognized in order to enter a professional work field," Chief of party USAID-HELM Dr Andrea Bosh stated here on Tuesday.
This topic was discussed at a workshop attended by 32 representatives from public and private universities in Indonesia.
She emphasized that maintaining quality is essential in the reform of higher education, where quality control and accreditation play a major role.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is a United States government donor that funds the Higher Education Leadership and Management (HELM) project.
HELM is a five-year program in cooperation with the Directorate General of Higher Education and the Ministry of Education.
These two institutions have introduced a holistic and innovative approach to strengthen leadership and management capacity in the higher education sector in Indonesia.
USAID/HELM has been working together with public and private higher educational institutions in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, a participant from USAID/HELM Jeffrey Goss from Arizona State University (ASU) noted that the institution has ample experience in handling technical transformation projects nationwide and accreditation projects worldwide.
Jeffrey stated that ASU with HELM is working to help engineering study programs in Indonesia gain international recognition through accreditation.
According to him, Indonesian universities have improved their quality and access for students, and the accreditation program will help graduates get better jobs.
Accreditation helps engineers and technicians to continue pursuing a career in science and technology, and at the same time, unfurls new opportunities for the development of technologies and innovations.
Some national A-accredited universities that participated in the workshop were University of Hasanuddin, Makassar, South Sulawesi; University of Sebelas Maret, Solo, Central Java; University of Andalas, Padang, West Sumatra; University of Muhammadiyah, Malang, East Java; and University of Malang, East Java.
(T.KR-LWA/INE/a014)
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(U.SYS/B/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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