{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1706524,
        "msgid": "government-imposes-moratorium-on-new-social-humanities-programmes-1777384342",
        "date": "2026-04-28 19:51:34",
        "title": "Government Imposes Moratorium on New Social-Humanities Programmes",
        "author": "",
        "source": "TEMPO_ID",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "The Indonesian government has introduced a moratorium on opening new academic programmes in social sciences and humanities at universities, while ensuring that existing programmes continue uninterrupted, to better align higher education with national development priorities. Instead, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology is encouraging the establishment of programmes in areas such as food security, nutrition, and renewable energy, where demand for experts is rising. Universities retain full authority to propose closures of underperforming programmes, particularly diplomas, through a bottom-up evaluation process.",
        "content": "<p>The government has assured that there will be no closures of existing\nacademic programmes at higher education institutions. However, the\nopening of new programmes in the fields of social sciences and\nhumanities has been temporarily halted. Muhammad Najib, Director of\nInstitutions at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology\n(Kemendiktisaintek), stated that the ministry is currently implementing\ncontrols through a moratorium, or temporary suspension, on the opening\nof new programmes in social-humanities fields. This policy is being\npursued to align higher education directions with national development\nneeds. \u201cWe are indeed implementing controls through a moratorium. So, we\nare not opening new programmes in social-humanities fields. But existing\nprogrammes are not being closed,\u201d he said when contacted on Tuesday, 28\nApril 2026. In contrast, the government is encouraging universities to\nopen programmes deemed more relevant to national priorities, such as\nfood security, nutrition, and renewable energy. The need for experts in\nthese fields is said to be continuously increasing, in line with\ngovernment programmes and changing societal trends. Najib gave the\nexample of the growing need for nutritionists, not only in hospitals but\nalso in society, which is now increasingly concerned with dietary\npatterns. Additionally, the demand for veterinarians is also rising due\nto changes in societal behaviour in caring for pets. In the process,\nNajib explained, universities wishing to close a programme must submit a\nrequest to the Higher Education Service Agency (LLDIKTI) for evaluation.\nIf the reasons are deemed valid, such as a lack of students or limited\nresources, the proposal is generally approved. Najib emphasised that the\ngovernment does not have a policy of unilaterally closing programmes.\nAccording to him, closures are entirely at the discretion of the\nuniversities. \u201cProgramme closures are bottom-up in nature, based on\nproposals from the universities. It\u2019s not the government that closes\nthem,\u201d Najib stated. He said that this mechanism refers to Minister of\nEducation and Culture Regulation (Permendikbud) Number 7 of 2020 on the\nestablishment, changes, and revocation of academic programme permits. In\npractice, universities propose closures if a programme is deemed no\nlonger relevant or has lost interest from students. This phenomenon,\nNajib said, is common in three-year diploma (D3) programmes, such as D3\nMidwifery and D3 Accounting. Changes in industry needs, which now demand\nD4 or bachelor\u2019s qualifications, have led to some D3 programmes being\nabandoned by students. \u201cThe number of students has decreased, even to\nzero, so universities propose closures,\u201d he said.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-imposes-moratorium-on-new-social-humanities-programmes-1777384342",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}