Minister wants universities

Minister wants universities
to pioneer nationalism drive

PALANGKA RAYA, Central Kalimantan (JP): Minister of Education
and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro is appealing to all universities
in Indonesia to take a leading role in invigorating the people's
sense of nationalism.

Speaking during a ceremony to induct a new rector at the
Palangka Raya University here on Saturday, Wardiman said two
factors are now dogging the nationalism of the Indonesian people.

On the one side, there is a strong current of globalization
and on the other the are pressures towards chauvinism and
sectarianism, he said. Unless Indonesia anticipates these trends,
they could threaten the unity of the nation, he added.

Universities, as places where people from different
backgrounds converge, and because of their far reaching
influences on society, are ideal institutions to become the
engine in the drive to enhance people's sense of nationalism.

Wardiman told The Jakarta Post that he regretted that the plan
to establish a new association with a nationalistic outlook has
fallen through. He said excessive media publicity helped to abort
the plan.

The minister is a member of the Association of Islamic
Intellectuals (ICMI), which because of the increasingly high
profile of some of its members in the political field, has now
been accused of fanning sectarian politics.

Wardiman denied the suggestion outright, stressing that the
presence of ICMI showed pluralism which is a characteristic of
Indonesia."And pluralism is our strength," he quipped.

Wardiman toured Central Kalimantan and later Central Java for
various official engagements during the weekend.

New rectors

In Palangka Raya he inducted Ali Hasymi as the new rector of
Palangka Raya University replacing Amris Makmur. He witnessed the
signing of an agreement between local technical high schools and
local industries for apprenticeship programs and inspected the
province's preparations for the nine-year compulsory education
program which begins next month.

In Semarang, capital of Central Java, the minister inducted
Rasdi Ekosiswoyo as the new rector of the Semarang Teachers
Training Institute (IKIP), replacing Retmono. He also held a
dialog with the institute's students.

During the signing ceremony, Wardiman said that the government
plans to build more vocational schools in the future because they
are an alternative for parents who cannot afford to send their
children to universities.

The cooperation of the business sector in providing
apprenticeship is vital, he said.

He also acknowledged the difficulties faced by Central
Kalimantan and similar large but sparsely populated provinces
face in providing schools that run economically.

He said in the long run, it might be worth considering
building boarding schools, so that the students do not have to
spend too much time traveling to reach their schools.

Aspul Fansuri, head of Central Kalimantan's Education and
Culture Office, said the main problem is that many people cannot
afford education even though the government has made it free.
(11)