Lecturers and Professors Recruited for Government Task Force, What Are Their Duties?

The government will form a task force comprising university lecturers and professors. They will be recruited to join a team for national strategic programmes.

Based on the direction of President Prabowo Subianto, this task force of academics is expected to accelerate the government’s strategic policy targets.

“The President has asked us to form a sort of task force or working group whose core will consist of individuals, professors, lecturers, and researchers from universities and BRIN to further strategise together with the relevant technical ministries. Thus, the President hopes the contribution from university personnel can accelerate the targets of strategic policies,” said Brian Yuliarto, Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, after the Peak of the Indonesian Science, Technology, and Industry Convention Workshop at Hall B of the Jakarta Convention Center on Sunday.

The Chairman of the Indonesian State University Rectors Council (MRPTNI), Eduart Wolok, added that this task force or working group is the result of discussions to address technical issues. He cited the President’s directive to develop shipbuilding technology as an example.

“One of the outputs of this workshop is a working group specifically related to accelerating shipbuilding, involving the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, for instance, which has been at the forefront of shipbuilding technology,” he explained.

Universities joining this task force will collaborate with relevant ministries. In the field of shipbuilding, the ministry in question is the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

“So there is academic involvement where we can help oversee and provide optimal input and contributions so that these programmes for the people can be optimal,” he said.

He mentioned that the task force or working group is currently still in the discussion phase. Eduart stated that the formation of this task force will be tailored to the relevant ministries.

“Because a campus is multidisciplinary. Then, these ministries also have many specific areas. These specific areas are what we are trying to match well with the disciplines possessed by the campuses,” he explained.