Impactful Students: 2026 Aksara Mahasiswa Programme Officially Socialised at Unisba
Students are being encouraged to move beyond the classroom and become drivers of societal solutions through the ‘Impactful Students’ spirit. This was the central message during the socialisation of the 2026 Aksara Mahasiswa Programme (Student Learning Action and Community Empowerment Programme) held at the Main Hall of the Islamic University of Bandung (Unisba) on Saturday.
The event, organised by the Directorate of Community Service under the Directorate General of Research and Development of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) in collaboration with Unisba, was attended by approximately 300 participants from 65 universities across West Java and Banten. The programme is designed to empower students to act as agents of change through community-based empowerment initiatives, with lecturers serving as mentors to connect university research with community needs.
The Rector of Unisba, Prof. Ir. A. Harits Nu’man, emphasised that universities have a responsibility to provide solutions to societal issues, not just produce scientific knowledge. He highlighted Unisba’s existing impact, such as a zero-waste programme in the Arcamanik District involving 500 students through the application of cold plasma technology.
The Head of the Higher Education Service Institution (LLDikti) for West Java and Banten, Dr Lukman, noted that while interest in community service grants is increasing annually, the number of funded recipients has declined, prompting a call for increased budget allocations. He also introduced ‘Sorot’, an initiative to document community service through short films.
The Aksara Mahasiswa programme operates under two primary schemes: ‘Aksara Peduli’, which focuses on empowering communities in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions, as well as areas facing extreme poverty and disaster risks through themes of food, energy, and health; and ‘Aksara Sirkular’, which focuses on household waste management as a social transformation effort, specifically targeting areas like Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung, and Denpasar.
The socialisation concluded with remarks from the Director General of Research and Development, Dr Mohammad Fauzan Adziman, who stated that the programme serves as a platform to build character, leadership, and competitiveness. He noted that world-class universities now prioritise impact, problem-solving abilities, and the utilisation of local knowledge as essential components of education and research.