Bima Arya Launches Village Head Campus Programme at UI Depok

Wakil Menteri Dalam Negeri (Wamendagri) Bima Arya Sugiarto has emphasised that collaboration between village governments and universities is a strategic step to enhance the capacity of village heads in facing increasingly complex development challenges. He stated that the field experience of village heads must be combined with academic knowledge and research to produce village governance that is more adaptive and impactful for the community. Bima made these remarks while opening the Village Head Campus Programme Batch I, titled ‘Impactful Village Governance’, at Balai Purnomo, University of Indonesia (UI), Depok City, West Java. The programme, initiated by the Directorate General of Village Governance at the Ministry of Home Affairs, serves as a platform for collaboration between village governments and universities to strengthen leadership capacity and village governance. Bima expressed appreciation to UI for opening a collaborative space for village heads. He noted that today’s leaders can no longer rely solely on experience but must also be able to formulate policies based on data and supported by scientific studies. “Leaders must be data-driven. That is why every leader needs to be assisted by universities, research institutions, or educational bodies,” he stated. He explained that collaboration is increasingly crucial as village heads now face far more complex development challenges. Beyond being required to formulate data-based policies, village heads must also improve human resource quality, master technological developments, and respond to strategic issues such as climate change, demographic bonuses, and food security. He therefore reminded village heads of the importance of a learning culture, noting that leaders who stop learning will struggle to keep pace with evolving development dynamics. He further explained that the Village Head Campus Programme introduces a new approach to the relationship between villages and universities, where villages are no longer positioned as objects of assistance but as partners in co-creating knowledge. “Today is about collaboration and co-creation. Villages and campuses learn together, exchanging information and perspectives on technology, governance, and their application,” he said. He assessed that this collaboration benefits both parties, with villages gaining access to science, technology, and mentoring to improve governance capacity, while universities gain a real-world laboratory for developing studies and innovations in village development. In his closing remarks, he referred to village heads as local heroes who are the driving force of development at the grassroots level. He expressed hope that the experiences and innovations emerging from villages could serve as both inspiration and learning material for the academic world. “If they keep innovating and inspiring, they are real heroes… Please, Mr Rector, elevate their stories of heroism to become learning materials in the classroom,” he concluded. The event was also attended by UI Rector Heri Hermansyah, UI Vice Rector for Infrastructure and Facilities Agus Setiawan, Director General of Village Governance at the Ministry of Home Affairs La Ode Ahmad P. Bolombo, participating village heads, the UI academic community, and officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs.