President Jokowi Calls On Rectors To Facilitate Students To Learn From Experts

The President attends virtual opening ceremony of the 2020 Indonesian Rector Forum Conference, Saturday (4/7), from the Bogor Presidential Palace. (Photo by: BPMI)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has called on the 2020 Indonesian Rectors Forum to become a forum to share and to help each other.

“Do share experiences, curriculum and syllabus, book collections, and lectures via online to advance all students across the country,” the President said during opening ceremony of the 2020 Indonesian Rectors Forum virtual conference at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java province on Saturday (4/7),

On that occasion, the President also urged the rectors to facilitate students to also learn from experts such as business players, entrepreneurs, government practitioners, legal practitioners, and other field practitioners. That way, according to the President, college students can capture dynamic world changes triggered by ongoing disruption and hyper-competition.

The world, the President added, is changing very fast; yet, many things that have not yet been written on textbooks have now changed on the ground.

“Many work characters cannot be captured only through reading rather through real experiences. That is the importance of freeing students to learn from anyone,” he said, adding that universities must be more active in working with industry, including through cooperation with nearby industrial area.

The President also expressed hope that universities can immediately cooperate with nearby industrial areas and open a faculty or study program in an industrial area whose scientific character is close to the type of industry in the region.

“Collaboration with industry aims not only to provide students with work experience. Rather, universities can also work together in R&D in the industrial world and at the same time for the development of pure science,” he said.

The President also pointed out that tertiary education must pay close attention to physical and mental health, and build the students’ character based on noble values of Pancasila state ideology, nationalism, diversity, integrity, anti-corruption, and tolerance as well as respect for democracy.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you are the parents [of your students] who are responsible for their future, as well as the country’s future,” he said to the rectors.

The President also appealed to the rectors to make the most of the peak of demographic bonus by 2045 to develop superior young people for an advanced Indonesia so that the country will not fall into a middle-income trap.

The President also reiterated to make Indonesia a high-income country by virtue of social justice for all the people of Indonesia. (UN/EN)

Translator: Muhardi
Reviewed by: M. Ersan Pamungkas