Bima Arya Stresses Village Heads Must Embrace Data and Innovation
Depok (ANTARA) - Deputy Home Affairs Minister (Wamendagri) Bima Arya Sugiarto has stressed that village heads need to get accustomed to using data, strengthening collaboration, and encouraging innovation so that village development runs more effectively and is on target.
This was conveyed by Bima after opening the Village Heads Enter Campus Programme organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) together with the University of Indonesia at the UI Campus in Depok, West Java, on Tuesday.
The programme, which runs from 29 June to 2 July 2026, is part of the Impactful Village Governance Programme aimed at strengthening leadership capacity, governance, and innovation in village administration through learning in an academic environment.
“This activity marks a new chapter as the UI campus collaborates with village heads in a measurable programme. From this, it is hoped that best practices will emerge that can be published and become an inspiration for other regions,” said Bima.
Bima assessed that collaboration between the government and higher education institutions can yield mutual benefits. Besides village heads gaining new knowledge and experience, universities can also obtain information about various potentials and problems faced by villages.
“Village heads must get used to using data, building collaboration, innovating, and being open in carrying out development. That way, they can determine the right programmes while maximising regional potential,” he said.
Meanwhile, UI Rector Heri Hermansyah affirmed his campus’s commitment to supporting the strengthening of village apparatus capacity through education, research, and community service.
“This is a synergy between the government and higher education in building an adaptive, innovative, and impactful village governance for the community,” said Heri.
He also referred to the programme as an important step in strengthening the quality of village governance in Indonesia.
“Welcome to the village heads. It is a great honour for us to learn and share experiences together at UI,” he said.