House Commission X backs stronger higher education budget

Mataram (ANTARA) - House of Representatives (DPR RI) Commission X Vice Chair Lalu Hadrian Irfani has stressed the commission’s commitment to continually push for strengthened budgets for higher education. “Adequate funding is a crucial factor for universities to optimally carry out their functions of education, research, and community service,” he stated at the University of Mataram in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) on Monday. Hadrian noted that discussions regarding an Impactful Campus are highly relevant amid the drafting process of Indonesia’s 2027 national education policy and budget. He stated that education remains a priority sector with substantial financial backing to strengthen Indonesian human resource development. “God willing, we are committed to continuing to push for a reinforced higher education budget. This is to strengthen human resources in NTB,” Hadrian said. The legislator for the NTB II electoral district covering Lombok Island further indicated that higher education institutions currently face mounting demands to demonstrate the social and economic relevance of all their academic activities. Hadrian highlighted that high unemployment rates among university graduates, public demands for accountability in education fund usage, and the need for innovations capable of solving societal problems are reasons why the Impactful Campus concept is increasingly urgent to realise. “It is no longer sufficient for higher education institutions merely to produce graduates and scientific publications. Campuses must become engines of change, capable of delivering real solutions for society and regional development,” he stated. Meanwhile, University of Mataram Rector Professor Sukardi affirmed that the university continues to advance the Impactful Campus policy through various strategic programmes linking education, research, and community service. According to him, higher education must not only produce graduates and scientific publications but must also generate tangible and sustainable benefits. “Unram continues to strengthen its various advantages, one of which is through the development of a leading seaweed laboratory. We are also reinforcing various impactful campus programmes, including the Impactful Professor Programme, which will be synergised with the NTB Provincial Government’s Empowered Villages programme,” he said.