Four teaching institutes become universities

Four teaching institutes become universities

UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi (JP): The Ministry of Education
and Culture has issued a decree which has upgraded four of the
existing state-run Teachers Training Institutes into full-fledged
universities.

The four institutes are in the East Java mountainous town of
Malang of East Java, in Padang of West Sumatra, Ujungpandang in
South Sulawesi, and in Yogyakarta.

Sjahruddin, the rector of the institute in Ujungpandang,
hailed the decree, saying that his school has long been equipped
for the change because it already has plenty of lecturers
majoring in pure sciences such as math and natural sciences.

The rector of Malang's institute, Nuril Huda, expressed the
same readiness.

Experts have often criticized the institutes for the poor
quality of their graduates and learning process. A national
convention on education held in Ujungpandang earlier this year
agreed that the institutes should be turned into universities
with more disciplines.

Both rectors agreed that the process of turning institutes
into universities will be gradual, and that they would maintain
their main task, namely producing quality teachers.

Under the plan, each institute will establish schools
according to subjects, such as mathematics and engineering. The
first six semesters will be used primarily to teach students
their chosen subjects and the last two semesters will be
dedicated to pedagogy subjects.

Because the six semesters of course work is equal to a three-
year diploma from a regular university, the broadened curriculum
is also intended to help prepare graduates in finding jobs
outside of the teaching profession.

Malang's institute now has 885 lecturers and Ujungpandang's
has 808 lecturers. (20/31)