IPB University Rector Supports Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology’s Educational Transformation Policy

Prof Arif Satria, the Rector of IPB University, responded to the new policy issued by the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Mendikbudristek), Nadiem Makarim, 29/8. He stated that there are indeed several positive impacts on State Legal Entity Universities (PTNBH), referring to Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Regulation (Permendikbudristek) Number 53 of 2023 concerning Quality Assurance of Higher Education.

Some of these positive impacts include a significant reduction in the administrative burden on lecturers and greater freedom for students and universities to create their own learning outcomes.

“The most noticeable impact is the drastic reduction in the administrative burden on lecturers, allowing lecturer’s time to be used for research and improvisation in teaching,” said Prof Arif Satria in response to the higher education accreditation system policy that lightens the administrative and financial burden on universities.

He explained that universities can allocate this time to develop learning that focuses on preparing outstanding human resources. The formulated learning outcomes are not only competencies and skills but also graduates who are compatible with the future.

“This policy can create a conducive ecosystem for fostering the creativity of students and universities in discovering various educational instruments,” he added.

Prof Arif Satria also welcomed this new policy, especially regarding the National Standards for Higher Education, which now functions as a framework rather than being prescriptive and detailed. For instance, the regulation of final student tasks in the form of theses is no longer obligatory.

“We are not concerned that the quality of learning in PTN BH will decrease because each of them has a performance contract with the Ministry. In the process, universities must be more creative in achieving performance targets,” said Prof Arif Satria.

Regarding the regulation of final tasks in the form of theses no longer being obligatory, Prof Arif explained that IPB University had already implemented this practice. However, students are still encouraged to sharpen their communication skills, both oral and written, through publications.

“Training communication skills is still very important for the future, especially with challenges like the GPT chat. Universities must have concrete steps to harness artificial intelligence for educational progress,” he explained. (MW/ra) (IAAS/DSR)