Campuses are starting to open up about the "Ferienjob" case and preparing legal steps

A number of universities that send students to "ferienjob" programs are starting to speak out and prepare legal steps.

KOMPAS/HELENA FRANSISCA NABABAN

Visitors approached the exhibition booth showcasing higher education in Hungary and sought consultation at the "Hungary Welcomes the World: Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship and Career Expo" event on Saturday (14/10/2023) at Martha Christina Tiahahu Literacy Park in Jakarta.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The emergence of cases of abuse of ferionjob internships in Germany as part of the Free Learning Free Campus program involving many Indonesian universities and students continues to be in the spotlight as of Thursday (3/28/3034). Various campuses are starting to open their voices about the start of cooperation and even taking a stand regarding cases that are detrimental to the good name of the campus and students.

Secretary of the Indonesian Catholic University Atma Jaya Jakarta (UAJ) Agustina Dwi Retno Nurcahyanti through an official statement said that as many as 27 UAJ students who took part in the ferienjob program had returned in good condition. safe and healthy without any deficiencies. The campus will stop the program from February 2024.

"We have carried out an internal investigation and in-depth evaluation of the development of the German ferienjob program and ensured that this program was immediately stopped from the beginning of the year once all our students returned well," said Agustina.

Also read: Made into laborers and abandoned, the story of Indonesian students taking part in "ferienjobs" in Germany

Agustina explained that, after coordinating with Atma Jaya's International Office, the internship program was discontinued because it did not provide maximum benefits to the learning process for students. Furthermore, the university has issued a circular to its internal staff regarding the discontinuation of the program and has urged caution in internship work programs.

"We will continue to coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Culture (Research and Technology), particularly LLDIKTI III, regarding the next steps to prevent this from recurring in the future. Coordination with fellow higher education institutions will also continue as an effort to maintain the quality of national education," said Agustina.

KOMPAS/MARIA SUSY BERINDRA

Students are carrying out their duties while interning atKompasin May 2021.

He explained that the results of the evaluation with the Atma Jaya International Office showed that there were a number of things that needed to be improved significantly. This is because there is mismanagement in the job placement process, which includes, among other things, starting from the process of sending students, financial problems in the form of deductions for accommodation costs, tax refunds, job protection and health insurance.

The return of all UAJ students to Indonesia, according to Agustina, is not only due to the end of their internship contract period, but also the efforts of the university in providing preparation from the beginning to the students. Starting from the selection process based on the criteria of the internship program's objectives, administrative consultation and coordination with relevant parties, as well as communication with the Ministry of Research and Technology Education institution.

Agustina stated that overall the university has various international collaborations. These collaborations are not only with Germany but also with other advanced countries in the Asian region such as South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, as well as in Europe including the Netherlands and France.

Also read: Unika Atma Jaya Admits Its Students Face Problems When Participating in "Ferienjobs"

Another evaluation result that needs to be addressed internally is that this experience is also an important lesson for the university to always be vigilant and careful. At the same time, this makes the campus tighten every proposal or input related to internship programs, both abroad and in the country.

"To address unwanted issues related to the development of this case, if necessary, the university itself will prepare comprehensive legal measures as an effort to maintain its good name and ensure a conducive teaching and learning process on campus permanently," said Agustina.

Victim of fraud

The readiness to take legal action regarding the internship program to Germany offered by PT Sinar Harapan Bangsa (SHB) and CV-Gen, which has harmed both the campus and students, will also be taken by Universitas Negeri Jakarta (UNJ). The campus feels like a victim of a scam.

Amid UNJ's efforts to increase international exposure, in February 2023 the campus was visited by SS, a lecturer at a university in the province of Jambi, and his team. They offered an International Internship Program to Germany.

UNJ, both leaders and students who participated in the international internship program in Germany, have truly become victims.

During a presentation at UNJ, SS, PT SHB, and CV-Gen convinced UNJ that PT SHB is a legal company based on AHU-02200096.AH.11 year 2021. In addition, they stated that this international internship program in Germany is recognized by the German and Indonesian governments.

Even SS, PT SHB, and CV-Gen stated that this international internship program in Germany has been followed by many universities in Indonesia. When asked whether this was indeed an internship program, SS, PT SHB, and CV-Gen declared and ensured that this is an internship program that lasts for three months.

The organizers even brought in students who have graduated from the international internship program in Germany in 2022 to convey testimonials about their experiences during their internship in Germany. UNJ is also determined to collaborate on an international internship program for UNJ students to Germany.

"According to the contents of the MoU, it is clearly stated that the program is an international internship, and not work," said a statement from the UNJ public relations and information team.

Students who are interested in taking part in this program must pay their own costs to the organizing company. The registration fee is IDR 150,000 and IDR 350 euros (the nominal rupiah is adjusted to the euro exchange rate at that time (IDR 5.5 million–IDR 6 million). The details are 150 euros for making a letter of acceptance (LoA) to PT SHB, and after the LoA is issued, students must pay 200 euros to PT SHB for making an approval to the German authorities (working permit) and issuing the letter for 1-2 months.

Meanwhile, the costs of visa processing, plane tickets, accommodation, and daily needs during the stay in Germany are borne by the participating students, as it is already known by the students. The organizer stated that the internship fee obtained is around IDR 20 million to IDR 30 million.

Also read: Joining "Ferienjob", FA Actually Gets Tens of Millions in Debt

Due to the high enthusiasm of UNJ students in participating in an international internship program in Germany but facing financial constraints, the campus provides a loan scheme from the UNJ Cooperative to students amounting to Rp 24 million per student. There were 83 students who were given loans by the UNJ Cooperative to participate in the program, while the rest of the costs were self-funded or without borrowing from the UNJ Cooperative.

Several weeks after the students arrived in Germany and carried out their internship activities, UNJ received complaints from several students regarding the distance between their residence and the internship location, inappropriate internship honorarium issues, and unprofessional guidance and assistance services. Apart from that, there was also a Circular Letter from the Directorate General of Higher Education, Research and Technology, Ministry of Education and Culture Number: 1032/E.E2/DT.00.05/2023 on 27 October 2023 that based on a report from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) Berlin explained the implementation of the program < i>ferienjob indicated there was a procedural violation.

KOMPAS/ESTER LINCE NAPITUPULU

The opportunity to study outside of campus continues to be sought after by students. This was evident at the Vokasifest X Festival Kampus Merdeka event in Jakarta on Monday (11/12/2023), where many students were enthusiastic about asking about internship opportunities and participating in entrepreneurship programs.

The letter also contains an appeal for universities in Indonesia to stop participating in the ferienjob program, both ongoing and future. UNJ students themselves did not experience physical violence during their internship in Germany.

Based on a report by UNJ students, the campus authorities acted quickly by sending two teachers to Germany to monitor and accompany the students. On December 30, 2023, all UNJ students were safely repatriated to Indonesia without experiencing any physical violence during their internship in Germany.

"In relation to all of these events, UNJ, both its leadership and students who participated in the international internship program in Germany, have truly become victims and feel that they have been treated unfairly and dishonestly by SS, PT SHB, and CV-Gen," said the UNJ public relations statement.

Also read: ”Ferienjob”, Human Trafficking Syndicate's Method of Preying on Indonesian Students

UNJ views this issue as a shared lesson for higher education institutions in Indonesia to be more cautious when entering into partnerships with companies or agencies offering internship opportunities, both domestically and internationally.

Meanwhile, Jambi University, which was highlighted because one of its lecturers, SS, was involved as an intermediary, delivered an internship program activity to Germany starting in early 2023. At that time, PT CV-Gen and PTSHB, facilitated by Prof. Sihol Situngkir, offered aferienjob program to Jambi University as an international internship program for Jambi University students to Germany for three months in October-December 2023. At that time it was informed that this program had been participated in by various universities in Indonesia.

Provide assistance

The Chancellor of Jambi University (Unja) Helmi said that Unja would form an investigation team and in-depth study of this problem. Apart from that, providing assistance/assistance in any form for students as well as carrying out monitoring actions and supporting the authorities to follow up on this case.

A total of 87 students have been deemed eligible to participate in an internship program in Germany. For the independent internship program's funding, PT SHB provides a loan guarantee. The repayment of the loan is deducted from the salary earned.

KADIN INDONESIA

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) supports an internship program for Indonesian students in Japan. This program is to support the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) initiative for 2023, which provides opportunities for students to directly experience the real working world.

After several weeks of the participants arriving in Germany, Universitas Jambi received information from the Directorate General of Higher Education that the internship program in Germany indicated procedural violations and urged the higher education institution to stop participating in the program. The Universitas Jambi monitored the program participants through online means to monitor and ensure their conditions there. The results showed no outstanding incidents or issues found.

A few days after the students returned home, Jambi University gathered students who had returned home in a sharing session to tell about their internship experience in Germany. The majority of students who attended the sharing session shared positive experiences and were happy with their internship experience in Germany, but there were also negative stories, such as culture shock from living in a foreign country. Based on this sharing session and discussions with the study program, Jambi University converted the internship to Germany into an MBKM program worth 20 credits.

Also read: Not included in MBKM criteria, "Ferienjob" student internships to Germany are stopped

After news emerged regarding the determination of the suspect status of Prof. Sihol Situngkir in the alleged TIP case from the Police Criminal Investigation Unit, on March 26 2024, Jambi University gathered students who had carried out internships in Germany again to obtain information/complaints/complaints from students. During the meeting, information was obtained that some students felt that the ferienjob activities they participated in were positive, they got a decent job place and wages. However, there is also the opposite, there are those who receive unpleasant treatment from agents/companies in Germany (not getting a decent workplace and wages and other negative treatment).

"Furthermore, Jambi University will form a team to carry out further investigations into thisferienjobcase, and will provide assistance/assistance in whatever form is needed for students. "One of them is establishing a complaint service post and providing trauma healing to increase the motivation of the students concerned," said Helmi.