Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology and BOPPJ Collaborate on the Construction of a Science-Based Sea Wall

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister of Education, Science, and Technology (Mendiktisaintek), Brian Yuliarto, together with the Head of the North Java Coastal Management Authority (BOPPJ), Didit Herdiawan Ashaf, strengthened their collaboration in the construction of a science-based sea wall or Giant Sea Wall (GSW).

In a meeting at the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology office in Jakarta on Thursday, Minister Brian affirmed his commitment to supporting the GSW program as a national strategic program through multidisciplinary research, both social and technical, involving universities, especially in the Java region which is directly affected.

He added that this support will be aligned with field needs based on the direction of the BOPPJ.

In addition to strengthening research collaboration, other support will be realised through the deployment of representatives from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology to join the BOPPJ team as a liaison for coordination and follow-up on research support. The Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology will also form a Task Force to support the BOPPJ program.

“The aim is to serve as an entry point for communication with academics. We will involve all lecturers from the universities mentioned earlier to join the task force, so that all areas can be handled by this task force,” he explained.

Therefore, he also emphasised the importance of knowledge transfer and mastery of technology in this strategic project.

“By involving human resources from universities, we will later have the ability to maintain and build, and we will not need consultants, and the construction workforce can also be independent,” said Brian Yuliarto.

Meanwhile, the Head of BOPPJ, Didit Herdiawan Ashaf, welcomed the support that will be provided by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology in this national priority program.

Didit, who is also the Deputy Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, said that the implementation of this program prioritises budget efficiency through the optimisation of existing government facilities and strengthening coordination between ministries/agencies and regional governments in the five provinces of the North Java coastal area.