Indonesia does not have to care about global university rankings. Academics cannot act as frogs under the shell. The term university is derived from the word which means universe.
By
Ariel Heryanto
·6 minutes read
SALOMO TOBING
Ariel Heryanto
The government seems to have a big ambition to build as many world-class universities as possible. The university's global ranking is used as a reference. Lecturers are encouraged to work in the most authoritative publications in the world. Those who succeed are rewarded financially; the amount can be several times the monthly salary. Support funds are also available for some lecturers who prepare international publications as a complement to the requirements for professor promotion.
I have not seen such big rewards for lecturers in other countries. In many universities that dominate global rankings, the publication of scientific papers is considered part of the lecturer's routine work, such as teaching and guiding students. Can special incentives for Indonesian lecturers increase global rankings? It deserves careful scrutiny.
Any country does not have to care about global university rankings. In several countries that excel in global rankings, not many universities care about such rankings. They do not have to care because the state does not require it. The state does not interfere in the administration of universities and their policies even though the universities receive funding from the government.
I have not encountered Scopus fever in a number of countries like what has occurred in Indonesia. Only those in the top of elite universities are passionate about global rankings. The ranking results can increase the authority and market value of their institutions.
Although there are exceptions, it is difficult for universities from former colonial countries to break into the top 100 worldwide. It is not easy to understand why Indonesia has a big ambition on a global ranking that does not appreciate it. Moreover, it is difficult to understand if this ambition is pursued with various attitudes that are contrary to the norms of international academic activities. Here are some examples.
Last year a team of foreign researchers was banned from entering Indonesia. A state agency accused the researchers of publishing research results "that could discredit the government." It was not explained exactly what their fault was or what the government had lost as a result of the publication. This case is not the first and probably not the last.
Why were foreign researchers not greeted more kindly?
What is more troubling is that the suspicious attitude toward foreign scientists does not arise randomly or is an individual case, but overall in general. This is evident from the complicated requirements imposed on foreign scholars to obtain entry visas to Indonesia as researchers. Even if the visa is granted, the researcher is still burdened with a pile of additional bureaucratic requirements upon arrival in Indonesia.
Why were foreign researchers not greeted more kindly? Some are worried about the risks of stolen data or objects of value from Indonesia being taken away by foreign researchers. Caution is understandable for some sensitive research fields, such as health, forestry, maritime or security. However, what kind of treasure or secret are you afraid of being stolen from a foreigner's research on advertising in a public space, or research on language patterns in officials' speeches?
We are grateful that a number of fellow scholars have entered state bureaucracy and have tried to simplify the requirements. Unfortunately, the results are limited. Until now, these requirements still seem excessive when compared with the ease of Indonesian scholars conducting research in a number of other countries.
Since working as a lecturer in Indonesia for dozens of years, I have visited universities in America, Europe and Australia many times for research purposes. The process of obtaining a visa to all these countries was easy and short, not much different from a tourist visit. There were no additional bureaucratic requirements from the government there during my research. No one was worried that I would take away valuables from their country.
If the government is serious about creating world-class universities, the government can learn from the tips of a number of other countries that excel in global rankings. One of the keys to their success is the internationalization of the university. How to do it? Not sending groups of lecturers to study abroad, not calling on fellow diaspora scholars to go home. They are actively recruiting superior personnel from abroad to join as students, lecturers, researchers, administrative staff and structural officials.
Like a football team, it seems that there is no university that excels in global rankings by completely relying on its own citizens. More than 20 years I have worked in several universities like that. In one of them, our departmental unit was managed by 20 lecturers, only two were local residents.
At present, it is difficult to imagine a state university in Indonesia having a large number of foreign lecturers, foreign employees, and foreign students. Or imagine if structural positions are filled with foreign workers. Building a world-class university in Indonesia requires a mental revolution.
While it is difficult for foreign researchers to enter and work in Indonesia, thousands of researchers and professionals from Indonesia are now working in many countries. Some work at elite world universities, helping to elevate the status of their workplace institutions and have high rankings in global rankings. The Indonesian people are far more agile at globalizing than the state apparatus.
Can education policy makers and campus residents be a step behind?
It is not only foreign researchers who are having trouble with Indonesian bureaucracy. Lecturers in Indonesia are frustrated because of government regulations regarding campus bureaucracy. What is needed may not merely simplify bureaucracy. It is worth preparing steps to reduce and even eliminate government interference in the management of universities.
Indonesia does not have to care about global university rankings. However, if that is the choice of the government and campus people, universities need to immediately learn how to adapt their work to the insights and standards of global academic work. Academics cannot act as frogs under the shell. The term university is derived from the word which means universe.
It has been a long time since the community, business institutions and Indonesian football have absorbed foreign work norms and experts. Can education policy makers and campus residents be a step behind?
ARIEL HERYANTO, Professor Emeritus from Monash University, Australia
