Regional universities need to focus on their regions<\/p>\n
Kees Stigter, Visiting Professor in Africa and Asia,
\nWageningen University, The Netherlands<\/p>\n
Three years ago, Dr. Andi Lolo, cultural attache at the
\nIndonesian Embassy in the Hague, and a staff member of Hasanuddin
\nUniversity, Makassar in South Sulawesi, asked for the attention
\nof Dutch universities for the neglected universities on the
\neastern Indonesian islands outside Java.<\/p>\n
He did so in an interview with Transfer, the Dutch journal on
\ninternational higher education. Unfortunately this was at a time
\nwhen in Europe \"marketing\" started to replace \"development
\nissues\" in higher education contacts with developing countries. A
\nvisit of rectors of these universities to the Netherlands
\nnotwithstanding, the reception of these ideas has remained rather
\ncool.<\/p>\n
Two years ago, A. Chaedar Alwasilah, a senior lecturer in
\nBandung, wrote in this newspaper that improving higher education
\n\"should account for geographical disparities, which have led to
\nan increasing brain drain for the home provinces.\" It is
\ntherefore understandable, he continued, that most regions are
\nunprepared for regional autonomy. \"Improvement should hence be
\nmore of a priority in universities outside Java.\"<\/p>\n
Under decentralization, he said, \"universities should function
\nas an agent of social and cultural transformation within their
\nown area first.\"<\/p>\n
These ideas merit a follow-up. Funding is required for the
\nestablishment of departments or even faculties of natural
\nresources management in the universities of neglected provinces.<\/p>\n
With the provincial governments considered partners of the
\nuniversities in regional autonomy, there is ample space for joint
\nventures with the universities. During visits to several regional
\nuniversities in Indonesia over the past years, local authorities
\nbegged the universities to collaborate with them in performing
\ntheir new duties related to the management of natural resources
\nin the region. However, clearly also the universities are not
\nready for this important task.<\/p>\n
Yet it has not been considered the task of universities to be
\npartners with the government in problem solving. This was
\nunderstandable in the establishment phase of universities and
\nalso is understandable for the growth of some leading
\nuniversities here.<\/p>\n
However, the task of regional or provincial universities in
\nthe present situation should be defined differently.<\/p>\n
The experience in Sudan points in that same direction. As a
\nvisiting member of staff of the University of Gezira, a leading
\nregional University in Wad Medani, Sudan, we were able to show
\nhow challenging problem-oriented research could be at a
\ndepartment of environmental sciences and natural resources within
\na faculty of agriculture.<\/p>\n
Supported by the Netherlands government, we worked in research
\nareas from selecting the best trees for efficient settlement of
\nblown sand to improvements in underground grain storage in
\ncracking clays, and from water waste in modern irrigation
\npractices to designing shelterbelts to halt the desert that is
\nencroaching into irrigated fields in the drying climate. Students
\nscientifically educated with solving such problems remain
\nsuitable partners in development, also when they are part of the
\nlabor market.<\/p>\n
What we need now in Asia is the opposite of what is happening
\nin most of Africa. In Africa the emergency and relief funds have
\nreplaced aid for structural development. Chaos and war and
\neconomic malaise have replaced hopes for a better future. Natural
\nresources are either unused or sold for the benefit of a small
\nand ravaging elite.<\/p>\n
In Asia we need to use natural resources and the human
\nresources for the benefit of all. This demands the use of local
\nadaptive strategies, contemporary knowledge and policy
\nenvironments. One such policy is more attention to education and
\nhuman resources development, including higher education.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has played a
\nuseful role in funding programs in higher education. The next
\nprogram could be the support of regional Universities in the
\nestablishment of departments or faculties of natural resources
\nmanagement.<\/p>\n
Leading universities such as the Bogor Institute of
\nAgriculture and Hasanuddin University in Sulawesi have indicated
\nthey want to participate in training staff of the regional
\nuniversities in local natural resources management research.<\/p>\n
However, the ADB has so far mainly worked with loans to the
\nIndonesian government for higher education program funding. This
\nappears to be an impediment for further programs of this kind
\nbecause of the reluctance of the Indonesian government to
\naccumulate new debts through new loans.<\/p>\n
If neither the government nor ADB mitigate their policies,
\nwhich appears unlikely at present, the way out is local funding.
\nA decision in the newly amended Constitution stipulates that
\ncentrally as well as regionally 20 percent of the budgets should
\nbe used for education.<\/p>\n
Though economists say this is not feasible, as far as higher
\neducation is concerned, one could well imagine joint ventures of
\ncentral and regional governments and Universities in establishing
\neducation facilities around important themes of natural resources
\nmanagement. These should be established in the
\nregional\/provincial Universities.<\/p>\n
Some leading universities there and on mainland Java should be
\ninvolved in local staff development training at the S2 and S3
\nlevels. The subjects of their courses and thesis should strongly
\npertain to this management of natural resources in participatory
\napproaches with the local people.<\/p>\n
This way, expertise and human resources would be built up that
\ncould be beneficially used in the regions and could contribute
\nvery much to the development of these regions and their
\ninhabitants. This would be educational money very well spent,
\nwhether coming from the ADB or local sources.<\/p>\n
Prof. Kees Stigter Ph.D. is engaged in experiments in higher
\neducation in among others China, Vietnam and Indonesia (Java,
\nMadura, Sulawesi and Lombok).<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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