Expert faults plan to end university subsidy<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government-planned pilot project for
\nautonomy for state universities does not reach the heart of the
\nproblem, a researcher said.<\/p>\n
Hermawan Sulistyo of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
\n(LIPI) and a graduate of the University of Indonesia was
\naddressing a dialog on the plan at the university on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Establishing academic freedom was more important than the much
\nprotested plan to withdraw 80 percent of government subsidy, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"Autonomy plans for universities elsewhere do not involve
\nwithdrawals of government subsidies,\" Hermawan, also a graduate
\nof Arizona State University in the United States, said.<\/p>\n
The government was \"avoiding its responsibility\" to subsidize
\nuniversities, and it could not use the monetary crisis as an
\nexcuse for the subsidy withdrawal, he said.<\/p>\n
\"They caused mismanagement which led to the crisis,\" Hermawan
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
University autonomy was regulated in the 1999 Government
\nRegulation No. 61, which stipulates universities as nonprofit
\nstate-owned legal entities. Autonomy would be effective in 2001
\nand the need for increased competition was cited behind the plan.<\/p>\n
University students continued at the talks their rejection of
\nthe recent tuition increase, which university officials said was
\ninevitable given the plan to withdraw the subsidy.<\/p>\n
\"Withdrawing 80 percent of the government subsidy means that
\ntuition fees at state-run universities will be as expensive as
\nfees at private universities,\" said Bachtiar Firdaus, the
\npresident of the students executives body at the University of
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
The subsidy withdrawal was part of a government plan to
\nimplement university autonomy to four of Indonesia's leading
\nstate universities including the University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the Bogor Institute
\nof Agriculture (IPB) and the Gadjah Mada University (UGM) were
\nthe other three institutions involved in the pilot project,
\ndeputy rector for academic affairs, Usman Chatib Warsa, said.<\/p>\n
The tuition fee per semester will rise from about Rp 450,000
\n(US$65.21) to Rp 1,785,000 for science studies and Rp 1,535,000
\nfor social studies at the University of Indonesia (UI).<\/p>\n
The fee increase was put into effect for new students of the
\n1999\/2000 academic year by the special admission scheme for
\nstudents from outside Jakarta with outstanding grades.<\/p>\n
Students said that in earlier talks with university leaders
\nthey were told UI rector Asman Budi Santoso had not signed a
\ndecree to that effect.<\/p>\n
The talks included former rector M.K. Tadjudin who was on the
\nuniversity team preparing for the university's autonomy.<\/p>\n
Usman said UI intended to be \"an integrated and autonomous
\ninternational research university\". The vision needed autonomy,
\naccountability, accreditation and evaluation. All this needed
\nplenty of money, Usman said.<\/p>\n
\"Ideally, the government, students and other parties each
\ncontribute one third of a (state university's) annual budget,\"
\nUsman said.<\/p>\n
Tadjudin said under the autonomy plan, \"Rectors are allowed to
\nestablish (business) cooperation with other parties more freely.\"<\/p>\n
Based on the autonomy plan, the rector is not appointed by the
\nminister but by a board of trustees comprising representatives of
\nthe government, students and community. (05)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/expert-faults-plan-to-end-university-subsidy-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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