Govt in quandary over long-distance classes

Govt in quandary over long-distance classes

Leo Wahyudi S and Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Yogyakarta

Though higher education remains unattainable for the majority
of Indonesians, the government is forcing three reputable state
universities and institute to shut down their long-distance
learning services.

The Ministry of National Education has already suspended
subsidies to Gadjah Mada University (UGM) and is threatening to
impose similar sanctions on Padjajaran University over their
refusal to close branch offices in Jakarta, which hold long-
distance classes for graduate management degrees.

Apart from the two universities, a third state university, the
Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), recently acquiesced and
agreed to close its long-distance class program.

The three universities under scrutiny opened long-distance
classes in Jakarta which offer students graduate degrees in
management.

Officials have expressed concern of a degradation of
educational quality through long-distance classes which could
taint the prestige of the state universities.

"There's a certain value to be preserved," Director General of
Higher Education Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro said, adding that
education programs should only be held on campus.

Knowledge, Satryo said, can be transferred anywhere but not
the lecturers.

There is a fear that quality is compromised to a point where a
student can boast credentials from a reputable university without
ever setting foot on campus.

Minister of National Education Abdul Malik Fadjar stressed:
"Doctorate and postgraduate programs should not be (pursued
through) instant and careless processes."

He lamented the public perception of education merely as a
social symbol rather than a spirit of enlightenment and
knowledge.

The universities, however, contend they are merely trying to
raise the overall quality of education and that extensive
preparations are made to ensure quality was not compromised.

UGM rector Ichlasul Amal dismissed fears that long-distance
learning could result in a drop in the quality of learning.

"The classes in Jakarta are equipped with teleconferencing
devices, which can't be found on our campus here," Amal said in
Yogyakarta.

Besides attending classes in Jakarta, participants of the
long-distance program are required to turn up for particular
seminars on the university's campus.

Since opening last August, the university's classes in
Jakarta, situated in the Gondangdia area, Central Jakarta, have
registered 100 participants.

Amal suggested that government officials visit and examine how
the classes in Jakarta run before making any decision regarding
the matter.

Rahmat Akbari, one of the graduate management degree students
who attends the long-distance class run by UGM, said he found no
problem with the quality of the program.

Rahmat, who is now a senior manager in a private media
company, said that all the classes had been well-arranged and had
good facilities.

"I have been attending the classes here on a regular basis and
am being taught by qualified lecturers," he said, adding that he
was using some of his free time to learn business ethics.

While UGM has been defying the government's call to close its
classes in Jakarta, Padjajaran University and ITB, both based in
Bandung, have agreed to close their long-distance classes.

ITB, nevertheless, asks the government to allow the current
programs to run until their completion.

The institute is currently running six graduate programs in
Jakarta, the capital of Riau, Pekanbaru, the East Kalimantan
towns of Bontang and Samarinda, Cirebon and Cikarang in West Java
and Surabaya, East Java.

ITB rector Kusmayanto Kadiman, nevertheless, expressed his
concerns on Saturday, saying that he regretted the government had
not provided clear signals in advance on which programs were
acceptable or not.

The core of the issue, however, could be a combination of
educational quality and competition.

There is the simple question of competition, where students
could opt out of local universities and pursue graduate degrees
from equally, if not more, reputable institutions.

"I'm not saying that there might be something behind the ban
against long-distance classes. But it's certain that competition
in Jakarta is very tight. The presence of our program has reduced
participation in similar programs in other institutions, hasn't
it?" UGM's Amal said.