DPR Reveals 7 Higher Education Problems in Indonesia

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The House of Representatives (DPR) revealed that there are at least seven problems owned by higher education in Indonesia. This was conveyed by Deputy Chairman of Commission X DPR Dede Yusuf.

The first problem is related to the status of a Legal Entity State University (PTN-BH). Dede believes that many state universities are aiming for PTN-BH status just to get an abundant budget from the government.

“Many tertiary institutions are competing to get a student body in order to get a significant income,” said Dede at the DPR Commission X Public Hearing Meeting with professors, Thursday (11/17/2022).

Next is that there is a significant inequality between PTN and private universities (PTS).

He explained, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) has allocated a budget of 96 percent to PTN while only four percent to PTS.

The third problem is related to the quality of Private Higher Education (P)TS. Dede said the majority or 72 percent of students in Indonesia are in PTS. Even so, the majority of PTS are still at a relatively low level of accreditation.

“The condition of private-public tertiary institutions also does not necessarily reach the expected grades. There are even more private universities at level C,” he explained.

Fourth, related to the relevance of study programs in tertiary institutions with workforce requirements.

Fifth, regarding the competitiveness of students, it was found that there were still many who felt they had chosen the wrong study program.

Sixth, research problems. Even though there is a lot of research and journals produced by students and teachers on campus, they rarely become references for building the nation. In fact, the ministry itself prefers to use research results from abroad.

Seventh, related to the workload of teachers in tertiary institutions. Dede explained that Commission X of the DPR received many reports during discussions with universities that many lecturers felt burdened because of Scopus and journal matters.

“This international journal is a scourge because the reality is that our lecturers who have doctoral degrees have not increased in number, professors are still the same,” he explained.

Therefore, Dede said Commission X of the DPR formed a Higher Education Committee. The Working Committee wanted to discuss these various problems with experts to find solutions to the seven problems in managing the tertiary institution.