Kusmayanto elected ITB rector

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Newly elected rector of the Bandung Institute of Technology, Kusmayanto Kardiman, has vowed to improve the institute's image and help students who have financial difficulties.

"I will do my best to improve the institute's image both at home and overseas and help students with financial difficulties," he told The Jakarta Post here on Monday.

Kusmayanto, also a lecturer at the institute's School of Geophysics, won 17 votes in an election by the 20-member ITB representative assembly at the Ministry of Education in Jakarta on Monday. Minister of National Education Abdul Malik Fadjar, also a member of the assembly, cast his vote in the election.

The other two candidates, Bana Kartasasmita and Sahari Besari, both also from the institute, won only two votes and one vote respectively.

Kusmayanto, who will be installed on Nov. 10, 2001, said that his first task would be to make sure that learning activities were done in line with the curriculum.

"I want both teaching staff and students to stick to the curriculum set for the institute in order to make sure that learning activities on the campus are in line with the curriculum," he said, citing the diminishing quality of education at the institute over the years had a lot to do with the reality that many lecturers did not stick to the curriculum in their teaching.

Asked to comment on students' demand for a reduction in tuition fees, Kusmayanto said he was designing several programs to help students who found it hard to complete their studies due to financial restraints.

"We are designing a partnership program with the industry and a foster-parent program with businessmen and officials to help financially challenged students," he said.