Mendiktisaintek Responds to Irrelevant Programme Closure Issue: Not Closed, but Developed

Jakarta, VIVA – The Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Mendiktisaintek) Brian Yuliarto has emphasised that university programmes will be developed according to needs and relevance, rather than closed.

He made this statement in response to rumours that the government would shut down irrelevant programmes, which surfaced some time ago.

The Minister cited the field of electrical engineering as an example, where the industry now requires integration of internet-based technologies or the Internet of Things (IoT).

“In the past, there was no IoT, but now there is. So, instead of closing programmes, we encourage collaboration with universities to ensure these programmes regularly update their relevance between what is taught and developments in science and technology,” he said when met in Jakarta on Wednesday.

According to Brian, the continuous development of science and technology also gives rise to new industries, which must receive greater attention from universities.

He continued that new industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) should also serve as references for universities, so that the programmes offered become increasingly relevant.

“Thus, developments in industry and technology then become references for every programme in Indonesia to carry out continuous improvements. This is what is called continuous improvement,” said the Mendiktisaintek.

He revealed that in advanced countries, such updates to knowledge are commonplace, conducted every four years or even every two years.

“For example, with AI, how does this AI work? There is IoT, and in the future, there will be quantum computing. We must change it so that when graduates enter the workforce, they align with technological developments that will be used four years from now. Instead of closing them, we are actually developing them,” Brian explained. (Ant)