President Jokowi Inaugurates Defense University’s Polytechnic in E. Nusa Tenggara
President Jokowi inaugurates dr. Aloysius Benedictus Mboi Polytechnic, Defense University, in Belu regency, East Nusa Tenggara province, on Thursday (24/02). (Photo by: Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube Channel)
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo inaugurated Dr. Aloysius Benedictus Mboi Polytechnic, Defense University, in Belu regency, East Nusa Tenggara province, on Thursday (24/03).
“Praise and gratitude to God the Almighty that dr. Ben Mboi Polytechnic, Defense University, in Belu regency, East Nusa Tenggara province, has been established and used,” the President said.
The Head of State mentioned that the polytechnic will become a place for learning and improving the skills of the young people in Atambua – Timor Leste border, so they will have skills and fulfil the needs of business and industry sectors. Moreover, the graduated students can be entrepreneurs who create new job opportunities.
“Human resource development is the foundation for an Onward Indonesia. Therefore, educational service must spread evenly throughout the country and can be accessed by all the people, be it in border areas or outermost islands, and is of good quality,” he stated.
“I was talking to the lecturers of the study programs. I am sure that the quality of Ben Mboi Polytechnic will be much better than other polytechnics because the lecturers are smart and of good quality,” he added.
According to the President, education is the key to changing the people’s life quality and to helping them out of poverty. Besides, education and skills can be their advantage in finding decent jobs, so they could improve their family’s welfare and generate regional economy.
“I also see that the people are very enthusiast about the establishment of Ben Mboi Polytechnic. Therefore, I call on the academic community of the polytechnic to work hard because of the trust and also the people’s expectation to have good talents in Atambua, Belu, or East Nusa Tenggara, and our country Indonesia in general,” President Jokowi expressed.
The President also expressed hope that Ben Mboi Polytechnic can prompt the excellent human resources who love their country, the nation, and the state, and give big contribution to the development of the region and the country.
For the record, Ben Mboi Polytechnic is built in a land of 141 hectares, and today it has 175 students, comprised of 79 male students and 96 female students. Seventy percent of the students are from East Nusa Tenggara and the remaining thirty percent are from other provinces.
The studying and teaching activities in the campus have started since 30 August 2021 with 47 lecturers. The seven study programs in this campus are, namely, Dry Land Farming Cultivation Study Program, Plantation Cultivation Study Program, Livestock Cultivation Study Program, Fisheries Study Program, Fisheries Products Processing Study Program, Ship Machineries Study Program, and Fish Farming Study Program.
The polytechnic has also cooperated with 25 institutions comprised of colleges, business and industrial institutions throughout the country. It takes only three years to complete a study program in the campus.
Currently, the campus can accommodate only 170 students, but in the future, the campus will have more dormitories as well as class rooms that can accommodate up to 525 students, and have capacity to accommodate students from three grade levels.
Accompanying President Jokowi in the inauguration were Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Governor of East Nusa Tenggara Viktor Laiskodat, Regent of Belu Agustinus Taolin, and Rector of Defense University Laksdya Amarulla Octavian. (TGH/AIT/ST)(AW/MUR)
