SLEMAN – Totally 400 lecturers and education staff of UPN "Veteran" Yogyakarta (UPNVY) attended Bela Negara training for two days, 11 to 12 August 2017 at Ksatrian Air Force Academy, Yogyakarta. They were trained in increasing the students’ character of Bela Negara (state defence).

The rector of UPNVY, Prof. Dr. Ir. Sari Bahagiarti K, M.Sc. said that this activity was held as a mandate of the founders and early builders of UPNVY namely the Ministry of Defense to grow the Bela Negara character campus. This training was one of the activities implementing the State defend value.

"We want to remind the lecturers and employees the values ??of  Bela Negara. It  is a mandate of our formers  to be a State College, "said Rector at the opening ceremony on Friday (11/08/2017).

Rector said this training at the same time preparing all components in UPNVY in the activity of Pengenalan Kehidupan Kampus/PKK (introduction to the campus environment) to new students starting in  the early next week. In PKK, defending the state became the main subject of  the character education.

The education, among others, enforces values ??of discipline, stance, creativity, love of the homeland, and commitment in maintaining the four pillars of Indonesian nationality. This training would be a provision to build a beloved nation and state based on the soul of discipline, struggle, and creativity.

Professor of Faculty of Mineral Technology hopes that this training can strengthen the sense of nationality and love of the homeland among lecturers and educational staff so that they can spread the spirit of defending the State to the students as the next generation of the nation.

Furthermore, the Rector who participated as a trainee said that this activity was the first time since UPNVY became a Public University. Previously, UPNVY always sent  lecturers and educational staff s to join the state defend training in Rindam Diponegoro.

The participants were guided directly by instructors from the Air Force Academy. A series of training includes character development, discipline, national insight, social de radicalism, basic military rules and state defense.

Meanwhile, Vice Governor AAU, Marsma.TNI. Fachry Adamy, while reading the speech of the Governor of AAU said this activity was aimed to grow the state defensive characters. Through this training, it was expected that the participants would have a loving attitude of the homeland, care, and sympathy in accordance to the values ??of Pancasila. In addition, the participants could implement it in their daily life and in a community.

"Our message is deeply embedded in our minds for the love of our homeland and air, being proud to be Indonesian citizen," said the 1988 AAU alumni.

One of the trainees, Yuni Siswanti, admitted she appreciated the event. According to her, the state defending training could recall the feelings of the love of the country and appreciated the services of the heroes.                                               

"Listening to the national anthems has made us remember the homeland. This kind of training grows the feeling of being proud to be Indonesian, "said the lecturer of the Faculty of Business Economics.

She said similar training should be routinely carry out for both lecturers and education personnel who had been on duty or new. (wwj / humas)