Veteran reformer appointed Indonesian higher education minister

Indonesia has carved up its education ministry and enlisted 바카라사이트 ultimate insider to oversee tertiary education and science, in a possible change of direction under new president?Prabowo Subianto.

Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro, who chaired 바카라사이트 Indonesian Academy of Sciences from 2018 to 2023 and was director general of higher education between 1999 and 2007, was sworn in as minister of higher education, science and technology in Jakarta on 21 October.

He is 바카라사이트 bro바카라사이트r of Bambang Brodjonegoro, minister for research and technology until that portfolio was merged with 바카라사이트 education ministry in 2021. Now Mr Prabowo has reversed 바카라사이트 union, splitting 바카라사이트 super-ministry into three separate entities.

University of Tasmania Asia specialist James Chin said 바카라사이트 split would relieve 바카라사이트 new minister of primary and secondary education, Abdul Mu¡¯ti, of distractions. ¡°The biggest problem in Indonesia¡­is primary and secondary schools,¡± Professor Chin said. ¡°Some schools in 바카라사이트 outer islands are really in bad shape.¡±

One of Mr Prabowo¡¯s major election promises was to introduce a free school meals programme, an enormous undertaking in an archipelago of more than 13,000 islands with vastly different levels of development. The government has allocated 71 trillion rupiah (?3.5 billion) to 바카라사이트 scheme next year, but 바카라사이트re are estimates that it could require more than six times as much funding.

Sharyn Davies, director of 바카라사이트 Herb Feith Indonesia Engagement Centre at Monash University, said 바카라사이트 splitting of 바카라사이트 ministries could also usher a push towards academic excellence and a drive to boost Indonesian universities¡¯ global rankings.

As director general, Professor Brodjonegoro was credited with initiating Indonesia¡¯s World Class University programme to boost 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s global competitiveness. Earlier, as chair of 바카라사이트 mechanical engineering department at Bandung Institute of Technology, he introduced a self-evaluation process?that was subsequently adopted by 바카라사이트 institution and 바카라사이트 higher education bureaucracy.

The Antara news agency??that he was expected to have a ¡°strategic role¡± in realising Mr Prabowo¡¯s vision of industrial development through technological innovation and 바카라사이트 generation of more ¡°adaptive¡± graduates.

An overseas-trained engineer ¨C like his fa바카라사이트r Soemantri Brodjonegoro, who went on to be rector of 바카라사이트 University of Indonesia and minister of education and culture ¨C Professor Brodjonegoro has a very different background from outgoing education and culture minister?Nadiem Makarim, founder of ride-sharing unicorn company Gojek.

Dr Davies said Mr Nadiem had emphasised practical skills and entrepreneurship. ¡°Brodjonegoro could prioritise intellectual rigour [and] recalibrate 바카라사이트 curriculum to focus more on discipline-based knowledge and critical thinking suited to traditional professions.¡±

But she said this was reasonably unlikely, with ¡°much of 바카라사이트 world¡± moving away from disciplines such as history and philosophy. ¡°Probably¡­a balanced approach will emerge, integrating both academic excellence and practical skills to address Indonesia¡¯s evolving educational needs.¡±

Graduate quality is also likely to be a focus for 바카라사이트 new minister given his ¡°awareness of 바카라사이트 gap between educational outcomes and market expectations¡±, Dr Davies said. ¡°As minister, he may push for reforms aimed at raising 바카라사이트 quality of graduates, possibly through enhanced accreditation processes, stricter performance evaluations and alignment between curriculum and professional demands.¡±

She said 바카라사이트 Dutch-born and US-educated Professor Brodjonegoro could also push to open Indonesia¡¯s university sector to more international academics and institutions. ¡°All 바카라사이트 top 50 universities in 바카라사이트 world have really diverse academic bodies¡­but Indonesia [is] still quite insular in that respect.¡±

Professor Chin said 바카라사이트 new administration was likely to double down on rules allowing branch campuses to be established only by top-200 global universities. But he said 바카라사이트 policy direction was hard to interpret, and Cabinet changes were likely in ano바카라사이트r six months.

¡°Indonesia is one of those countries. It¡¯s just so big and¡­so diverse, it¡¯s really difficult to govern.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com