Universities have a very strategic role in preparing the quality and the global competitiveness of human resources. This is the challenge in the era of globalization.
Those universities that are qualified and highly competitive are the ones that can answer that challenge. A university should be able to adapt quickly in preparing its students with new skills and competencies so will be able to respond to the challenge.
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It is also the responsibility of university administrators, and the government in particular, to provide quality higher education. In terms of their number, there are too many universities in Indonesia, which has at least 4,500 universities. Of these, 3,041 are private universities (PTS), most of which are in an unhealthy state (Kompas, 13/10/2022).
Special and thorough measures are needed to improve the quality of these universities.
The Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry (Kemendikbudristek) has made a number of efforts to restore these universities to health, from mergers and acquisitions to the revocation of permits. Since 2015, the education ministry has merged at least 720 private universities into 278 and closed 130 other private universities with poor management. There are at least 1,221 universities that are still unhealthy and 1,291 nonaccredited universities. Special and thorough measures are needed to improve the quality of these universities.
The mergers have often been unwelcome, especially if the universities are run by different foundations. It is not enough to provide a financial incentive of Rp 100 million and a higher level of accreditation so universities are willing to merge. There should be other efforts to improve their management, especially through supporting policies support and state funding. At present, there is still a dichotomy between private universities and state universities (PTN), even though both are instrumental in delivering education to students.
The amount of financial assistance from the state budget should be increased in order to expand the quota of students at private universities who are eligible to receive a subsidy under the Indonesian Smart Card (KIP) program. Tuitions are the main source of funds for most private universities. Data that the Association of Indonesian Private Universities (APTSI) obtained during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic showed that around 80 percent of private universities were experiencing financial difficulties. The pandemic-induced economic crisis had also affected the financial condition of the parents of most students.
Closing the problematic colleges will not solve the problem, if the permits for establishing new universities can still be obtained easily. The moratorium on establishing universities and other higher education institutions should be strictly implemented, and the government should focus on efforts to rehabilitate existing universities.
And it is the right of all students to have access to quality education at universities and other high education institutions.
These measures should be in line with the overall effort to improve the quality of higher education, especially private universities, which the country still relies on to educate its children. More than 50 percent of the country’s students study at private universities. And it is the right of all students to have access to quality education at universities and other high education institutions.
(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)
