The Indonesian President, Prabowo Subianto, invited hundreds of rectors of various Indonesian universities to conduct a closed meeting. It was the first time in history for the Rector of Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus), Prof. Dr. Pulung Nurtantio Andono, S.T., M.Kom., to be invited to the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, on Thursday, March 13, 2025.
On that occasion, the Rector of Udinus went to the Presidential Palace, accompanied by the Head of the Dian Nuswantoro Foundation—Lakshiputri Arnindita, S.Sos., M.M., the Dean of the Computer Science Faculty at Udinus—Sri Winarno, M.Kom., Ph.D., and the Dean of the Economics and Business Faculty—Prof. Dr. Amron, S.E., M.M.
At the meeting, the rector proposed various strategic steps for the government to employ. These included the optimization of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for education, funding allocation, and a free lunch program for students with the Smart Indonesian Card (KIP), as well as granting tax incentives to industries that supported the higher education sector.
The rector then shared that the utilization of CSR funds could potentially be a positive step for universities, particularly in improving educational access for accomplished and underprivileged students.
“This CSR funding was allocated to the SME sector. If the same could be allocated to the higher education sector, it would allow the higher education participation rate to skyrocket, and minimize the education gap. This is because there had been many accomplished students with financial problems in continuing their studies,” he revealed.
Fund Allocation to Universities
In addition, he also responded to a sentiment proposing the funding of a free lunch program to be allocated to support the education sector instead. The fund will later be used to help students with the Smart Indonesian Card (KIP), particularly those in Central Java, as the education rate in this specific region is still relatively low.
“There are many students with KIP who had economic difficulties, not only in terms of tuition but also in their daily necessities. If the government were to give them additional subsidiary needs, the graduate rates among these students would see an improvement,” the rector explained.
The other discourse was the tax incentive for industries with the contribution to the education sector. In response to this discourse, the rector thought that the policy of tax incentives would be able to strengthen the synergy between the academic and business sectors. This is because the education funding for universities often does not cover the operational cost of the said universities.
“If there was a tax incentive for industries that supported universities, universities would be able to be more focused on developing their curricula and innovative programs that could enhance the skills of graduates. By doing so, there would be more parties contributing to improving the quality of the higher education sector in Indonesia,” he added.
The Synergy of Universities and the Industry
Through that discussion, President Prabowo Subianto emphasized that the government held the commitment to keep improving the quality of the higher education sector. The commitment could be embodied by enacting policies involving stakeholders, including those from the industry. He stated that collaborations between universities and private sectors must be further reinforced so the graduates can face global problems and challenges.
“We understand that higher education is among the most effective instruments to break the cycle of poverty, as well as improving the competitiveness of workforces for the nation. For that reason, the government shall keep its commitment to enacting policies supporting universities to be better and hold merits,” Prabowo uttered.
Moreover, Prabowo explained that the meeting aimed to listen to the perspectives of university rectors concerning the condition of the higher education sector. This would allow the president to further perfect the policies to improve the graduates on the national or global levels.
“I want the rectors to understand about the steps conducted by the government, the matter they aspire to achieve in the near future, as well as the condition of our beloved country,” he revealed.
A Historical Moment for Indonesian Universities
The Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Prof. Brian Yuliarto, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D., stated that the meeting marked a new page in the history of the higher education sector in Indonesia. He emphasized that this was the first time an Indonesian president invited rectors from both public and private universities to a national forum.
“This is the first time in history for an Indonesian president to invite rectors from various public and private universities in Indonesia. It was attended by 124 rectors of public universities, 40 rectors of private universities, 18 rectors of religious universities, as well as 17 representatives from the Higher Education Service Institute,” Brian uttered.
Brian hoped for this meeting to be a new beginning for the government and universities in creating more inclusive and future-oriented educational policies.
“Through this discussion, we hoped for Indonesian universities to be more serious in producing not only competent graduates but also with the capacity to compete on the global level,” he concluded. (Humas Udinus/Haris. Foto: Humas Udinus)
