Minister Asserts University of Indonesia Won't Oversee All Campuses
Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto has stressed that the establishment of the University of the Republic of Indonesia (URI) does not alter his ministry’s functions. He stated that the Ministry of Higher Education continues to oversee higher education institutions in Indonesia. “Our functions have not changed at all,” Brian said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Thursday, 23 July 2026. He added, “But this does not mean URI will oversee all campuses, no.”
According to Brian, the government is still reviewing plans to build ten URI campuses. He emphasised that URI is part of the government’s affirmative action programme aimed at preparing superior human resources. “The point is that URI’s programmes are affirmative action to prepare human resources to be more ready to work in strategic locations or positions,” Brian explained. He noted that these strategic positions could be in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost regions, or within other national priority programmes.
On Wednesday, 22 July 2026, President Prabowo inaugurated Deputy Defence Minister Donny Ermawan Taufanto as Governor of the University of the Republic of Indonesia, with Yos Sunitiyoso, a business professor from the Bandung Institute of Technology, as his deputy. Following the ceremony at the State Palace, Donny stated that URI is a new institution specifically created to educate future government officials and state-owned enterprise leaders. “The President is very concerned about human resources, especially for Indonesia’s future leaders,” he said. Donny confirmed plans to establish ten URI campuses, with graduates receiving degrees like those from other universities.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of House Commission X, Lalu Hadrian Irfani, stated that neither he nor the commission overseeing education had received any information or held any discussions regarding the formation of URI. He said the commission has not yet scheduled any meetings to discuss URI’s legal basis, duties, functions, or budget sources. Given this, Commission X is requesting the government explain the urgency of creating URI amidst the existing large number of state universities and official schools. “The government must prove what added value URI brings and also ensure there is no duplication of roles,” Lalu said via WhatsApp message on Thursday.