ICDE recognises UT's world-class quality, urges full Indonesian government support
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) has stated that the quality of Universitas Terbuka (UT) has reached world-class standard, and has called on the Indonesian Government to give its full support to the distance-learning ecosystem.
Speaking at a press conference at the UT campus in South Tangerang on Friday, ICDE reviewer and distance-education expert from Guangdong Open University, Prof Li Kam Cheong, said UT’s success in managing more than 700,000 active students while maintaining quality standards was an extraordinary achievement.
“It is extremely difficult to have such a robust system, and they have achieved it with quality. We sincerely hope the Indonesian Government sees this achievement and gives its strong, full support to the Open University,” he said.
Prof Li also highlighted UT’s significant socio-economic contribution to Indonesia. By providing highly affordable access to education for workers, adults and people with special needs, UT is considered to have sustained the economic cycle, as its students can continue working and remain productive without having to leave their professions.
In response, UT Rector Prof Ali Muktiyanto affirmed that ICDE’s presence to conduct an external review was of fundamental importance.
He regarded recognition from this global distance-education organisation as concrete proof of the institution’s commitment to transparency and public accountability.
“We want to ensure that the quality of our services, wherever we are and in whichever part of the world, meets the same standard. We must make sure that our students who are satisfied with a grade ‘A’ in Jayapura, with the same course and the same study programme, receive the same quality as a grade ‘A’ for our students in Jeddah or Hong Kong,” Ali said.
Although the official ICDE review takes place in a three-year cycle, UT is aiming for communication and mentoring processes every year to ensure continuous quality improvement.
The assessment process was carried out by three international ICDE experts from 6-10 July 2026, examining UT’s self-evaluation report and conducting field visits. The comprehensive review covered the head office, several studio facilities, the data centre, as well as three regional offices and Universitas Terbuka service centre (Salut) facilities.
The ICDE team formulated four high-level commendations for UT. These cover its unmatched national operational scale, its leadership’s commitment to quality, its robust technology infrastructure ecosystem, and the reliability of its regional offices as the spearhead of student success.