Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology backs Aptisi and Surge partnership to build quality campuses
JAKARTA (ANTARA) - Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Brian Yuliarto has backed the acceleration of an advanced and accessible academic ecosystem in Indonesia through collaboration between the Association of Indonesian Private Higher Education Institutions (Aptisi) and PT Solusi Sinergi Digital Tbk (Surge).
The collaboration was formalised through a memorandum of understanding for providing internet services to private higher education institutions (PTS) across Indonesia, signed at the ministry’s Jakarta office on Tuesday.
“This is an extraordinary breakthrough. We appreciate this strategic move in an era where science, technology, and knowledge are key to national progress,” the minister said during the event.
Minister Brian emphasised the vast potential of expanded knowledge access coupled with students’ “golden age” – the four-year period of high cognitive development.
Universities are expected to foster an academic environment that supports this growth and build robust networks to produce talent capable of driving Indonesia’s advancement.
In line with this, the minister noted his ministry is preparing teaching videos created by top lecturers nationwide to aid educators’ teaching processes.
“Affordable internet access will not only benefit our generation but also cultivate highly skilled human resources from various regions in the future,” Brian stated.
Meanwhile, Surge’s major shareholder Hashim Djojohadikusumo highlighted the significant impact of increased internet penetration on national economic growth.
He said affordable internet access would not only support students’ and lecturers’ learning but also create opportunities to strengthen micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), village cooperatives, and digital economy development across regions.
“This is an opportunity to drive growth. Internet access can uplift living standards nationwide. For the Indonesian nation,” Hashim said.
Aptisi’s chairman Muhammad Budi Djatmiko said the internet access initiative aims to strengthen higher education access nationwide and boost the national Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) for higher education, currently at 32.89 per cent as of December 2025 (Statistics Indonesia).