RI Minister of Education and Culture: PTMA Must Be Smart in Taking Advantage of a Moment

Minister of Education and Culture (Mendikbud) of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Muhadjir Effendy, M.A.P., appealed to Muhammadiyah-Aisyiyah Universities (PTMA) to innovate and open study programs that are in line with the times. "For example, a logistics study program, both logistics at sea and air. Logistics management is very complex. At present, work field requires skilled people in their own fields. PTMA must be able to take advantage of this moment."

His statement was conveyed when he became a speaker at the National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) on Student Affairs for Indonesian PTMA organized by Universitas Ahmad Dahlan (UAD), in collaboration with the Council of Higher Education, Research, and Development (Diktilitbang) of Central Board of Muhammadiyah. The event took place from Thursday to Saturday (8-10/11/2018) at Grand Quality Hotel, Yogyakarta, and was attended by 137 participants from 103 PTMA.

In line with the issue, he also conveyed his expectation that PTMA be responsive and alert to the changes that occur in the society. Innovations in the education sector must continue to be made to keep pace with the increasingly rapid changes. Furthermore, the moment that must also be immediately addressed is the opportunity to develop PTMA in remote areas of Indonesia.

"Don't just depend on LPTK. Currently, LPTK has exceeded its capacity. The number of graduates and what is needed is not comparable. The number of graduates every year is 250,000, while only 100,000 are needed per year. Then, the opportunity to establish PTMA in the remote area is still open, for example in Wakatobi, which is included in the 10 favorite destinations in Indonesia. "This is a strategic area to develop Muhammadiyah's charity business," he said.

Besides, the issue that is more urgent, according to him, is that PTMA must provide students with generic provisions. Generic provisions in question are those that are easily adapted to the work field. And then, there is a need for double track for teacher training, for example, teacher training with minor skills in fishery, information technology, and foreign languages.

Regarding the field of student affairs, Muhadjir stated his expectation that university leaders could develop PTMA in accordance with local wisdom. This local wisdom can be a value in itself and is a characteristic for PTMA branding. (ard)