Campuses Must Not Only Produce Piles of Scientific Journals, Says Deputy Minister
The initiative is expected to foster collaboration between universities, the government, the business and industrial sector, communities, and the media.
Surabaya (ANTARA) — Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Wamendiktisaintek) Fauzan asserted that universities must not merely produce piles of academic journals, but must deliver real solutions for society.
Speaking at the kick-off of the Impactful Student Academic Mobility Programme for the 2026/2027 academic year at the State University of Surabaya (Unesa) on Monday, Fauzan explained that students need to be deployed into communities to learn from various social realities and be challenged to address the problems people face.
“It is hoped this step will be able to create collaboration between universities, the government, the business and industrial world, communities, and the media. That way, campus academic works will not merely end up as stacks of academic journals, but will also be able to provide real solutions and direct benefits for society,” he said.
Under the programme, some 16,000 Unesa students will be deployed into communities for four months to learn from various social realities while helping to address problems faced by society.
According to Fauzan, field-based learning experience is an essential part of shaping graduates who are not only academically excellent, but also capable of collaborating, adapting, solving problems, and building empathy.
Unesa Rector Professor Nurhasan said academic mobility serves as a laboratory of life, giving students the opportunity to test the knowledge gained in lectures through real experience in the business world, industry, and communities.
“This programme is in line with the national development mission. In today’s global era, students are not only required to possess academic competence, but are also tested on discipline, responsibility, problem-solving ability, empathy, and teamwork,” said Nurhasan, affectionately known as Cak Hasan.
One participant, Aldito Christian Putra, a student of the undergraduate Information Technology Education programme at Unesa’s Faculty of Engineering, is undertaking an internship at PT Aplikasi Bisnis Digital Indonesia as a programmer tasked with developing web-based systems, resolving technical issues, and collaborating on system testing.
“I get to train soft skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and professionalism,” he said.
On the same occasion, Unesa also introduced its new mascot named Si Prio, an acronym for Progressive, Responsive, Innovative, and Optimistic, as part of the university’s 62nd anniversary celebrations.