Deputy Rector commissioning Academic Affairs, Dr. Mohammad Irhas Effendi, served as the chief commandant of the National Education Day Commemoration (Hardiknas) held on the field in front of the Rector’s Building on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2017.

The National Education Day, bearing the theme “Increasing Relevance of Higher Education to Support Economic Growth” was attended by the lecturers, educational officials and students.

In his message, the Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education, which was read by Dr. Mohammad Irhas Effendi, Prof. Mohamad Nasir suggested that it is the time now for the Higher Education System to pay better attention to the effects of its activities upon the economic development in general, and to the local economic growth in particular, in implementing the Tri Dharma (Three Contributions). In other words the Higher Education must be able to play its roles as the agent of economic development, apart from its functions as an agent of education and agent of research and development, said the Deputy Rector Commissioning Academic Affairs, Dr. Mohamad Irhas Effendi, M.S.

Dr. Mohamad Irhas Effendi, M.S. further said that increasing relevance of Higher Education in contributing to the economic development may be performed in different ways. First, in education, Higher Education must be able to produce qualified and graduates relevant with the actual needs in employment sector and industry. The higher Education has long been criticized by the employment sector and industry for the fact that tertiary education graduates do not have the actual skills compatibly required by the employment sector and the industry.  In Law number 12 of 2012 on higher education,  it is provided that three (3) types of  higher education must be conducted in Indonesia, including: the academic higher education aimed at developing sciences,  vocational higher education to develop skills and professional higher education for developing specific professional skills. At present, only 6 percent of our universities, academies and colleges are vocational higher education institutions in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). In addition, the role the industry in developing the vocational education is very small. In order to increase the relevance of higher education with the real needs of the employment sector and the industry, the number of vocational higher education institutions must be increased in the future end the involvement of the industry sector must be intensified. Graduates of vocational higher education institutions must obtain a certificate of competence, apart from the academic certificate.

For that purpose, the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher education has proposed a vocational higher education revitalization program.  It its initial stage, there will be 12 state polytechnics and 1 (one) health polytechnic to join this revitalization program. The revitalization includes competence development, restructuring of the skill programs and curriculum to adjust to the needs of the industry, development of the infrastructure of industrial facilities for working practices or apprentices for both the students and lecturers. The objective is clear, to develop the vocational education that links and matches to the industry.

With the revitalization of the higher education vocational institutions, polytechnics are expected to produces professional skilled graduates and able to support the 14 (fourteen) special economic zones and centers of economic growth throughout Indonesia. Additionally, this vocational education development is also expected to be able to face the challenges of competition in the era of ASEAN Economy Community (MEA), especially in the following sectors: health, tourism, logistic services, online services, air cargo services, agro-based products, electronics, fishery, rubber-based products, textile and garment, and wood-based products (wooden products).

Second, in researches. The increase of higher education relevance to support the economic growth may be performed by conducting the downstream studies in higher education. The researches and studies conducted in higher education must not be limited to producing the publications, prototypes or patents. It must continue to reach the technology readiness level (TRL) 9 (nine) and cooperate with the industry in order to be able to yield mass production and public market for the products. For this purpose, the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education has initiated various programs, including, inter alia, the development of Science and Technology Superiority Center (PusatUnggulanIptek, shortened as PUI), Science and Techno Parks, grants of bequests for inventions to Technology-based Start Up business owners, development of technology transfer units and Business Incubation. To be able to perform the downstream of research findings in higher education institutions, the higher education must set the policies, strategies, and programs that are able to support downstream of researches in higher education.

Within the 2011-2016 period, 27 research and development institutions were selected as Science and Technology Superiority Centers (PUIs). The 27 institutions come from ministries, non-ministry governmental institutions, higher education and businesses. Each of them has its own superior theme with high standard results. The number of research and development institutions under the guidance is continuously increasing.   In the beginning of 2017, there were already 72 research and development institutions, consisting of 23 non-ministry institutions, 19 ministerial institutions, 1 businessand 24 universities. The institutions were scattered in 18 provinces in Indonesia.

The achievement of the PUIs in different fields is a pride for us. Based on the data collected by Directorate of Research and Development Institutions of the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, until the end of 2016, 253 invitations to be speakers and presenters in international conferences were received and 291 publications were posted in accredited national journals, 149 publications were published in international journals. Another achievement to be proud of includes 33 doctorate graduates in according to the superiority research focuses and the achievement of 40 patents, both granted and registered patents, 196 joint researches on national and international levels and the realization of 1,014  non-research cooperation activities on the basis of institutional superiority  and 128 business contracts with the industry sector.

We will also develop Science and Technology Premises (STPs), including STPs in universities, or known in Indonesia as Kawasan SainsdanTechnologi (KST). An STP is a place or location which can facilitate cooperation or collaborations in researches, technology as well as innovation, between the researches/inventors, universities and the business. Through the business incubation in an STP, we hope that small and middle size businesses or technology-based business startup owners will grow. Through their participation, we hope that the economic movements in regions will continuously grow.

Building and developing STPs constitute the message stated in the sixth point of the Nawacita (Nine priorities) program and RPJMN 2015-2019. The building and development of STPS also form the government efforts to support the downstream flow of research outcomes and technology. By 2016 12 of the 22 STPs had already formed and are expected to become mature in 2019, leaving 10 STPs to be put into existence in 2019.  

Third, the social responsibility. Increasing the relevance of higher education to support the economic growth can also be more intensive cooperation between higher education and regional governments and the industry to solve the actual problems faced by the public in higher education, both the issues related to production, distribution and technology. To be able to attract the interest of the partners, both the government and the industry to solve the real problems being faced, higher education must first be able to overcome those real problems. For that purpose, the higher education must be able to improve its ability to solve the practical problems by providing assistance for the public.  In addition, higher education must make policies which appreciate, and if necessary, provide the intensives for the lecturers to conduct the qualified and relevant social responsibility activities in line with the actual needs of the public and the industry.