Unprincipled lecturers<\/p>\n
I am a former lecturer in some higher learning institutes like
\nInstitute of Monetary Science, Brawijaya University, Indonesia
\nUniversity and Diponegoro University on the subject of tax law.
\nAs a lecturer I often guided my students in writing dissertations
\nto fulfill the requirement for the final examination for the
\nmaster degree. In guiding the students I gave a lot of ideas and
\nmaterials to complete the dissertation. I also recommended the
\nbooks for complementary reading, which were useful for
\ncomprehensive examination. I believed then that it was the job of
\nthe lecturer to provide such guidance to the students.<\/p>\n
I did it not for financial gains. In fact at that time
\nlecturing was by no means a lucrative business, and my salary was
\nmeager. I just wanted to do some service to the government in
\nreturn to what the government had provided for me to facilitate
\nmy study until I graduated.<\/p>\n
Recently I read in the media that in East Java more than 200
\nlecturers from various universities were found to have copied
\ndissertations of their students. The dissertations are necessary
\nfor achievements evaluation of the lecturers to get to the higher
\nrank. This practice is indeed shameful. However, the Ministry of
\nEducation and Culture should not make a hasty judgment and
\npenalize such unpopular deeds of the lecturers. Instead, the
\nauthorities should investigate the matter deeply to find out why
\nthe lecturers should copy their students' works. There must be
\nvery good (although deplorable) reasons for doing it. For
\nexample, it might be that the workload of the lecturers were too
\nburdensome so that they had very little time to prepare and write
\ntheir own dissertations, which normally require researches and,
\nnot less important, fund. Maybe the requirement needed for
\npromotion of the lecturers' position is too heavy. Moreover many
\nof them still need moonlighting to make ends meet.<\/p>\n
I myself have retired with a pension of IV\/E category. But my
\nyounger brother, Sri Bintang Pamungkas, who is a permanent
\nlecturer at Indonesia university, is still in III\/d category.
\nThis is because he did not have time to write his dissertation.
\nYet he has no intention to copy his student's dissertation.<\/p>\n
SUHARSONO HADIKUSUMO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unprincipled-lecturers-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }