On the Irrelevance Polemic of Study Programmes, Mendikti: To Be Developed, Not Closed

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Mendikti Saintek) Brian Yuliarto stated that study programmes (prodi) in higher education institutions will be developed according to future needs, rather than closed.

“Instead of closing them, we are actually developing them. Developed, yes, not closed,” Brian emphasised to the media at his office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday (29/4/2026).

Brian then gave an example that in the field of electrical engineering, there is currently a need for integration of Internet of Things (IoT)-based technology.

“This means we encourage our study programmes to continuously update the knowledge being taught. For instance, the electrical engineering major in the past is different from now. Back then, there was no IoT; now there is IoT,” he said.

“So, industry and developments in science, technology, and innovation then become a reference for every study programme in Indonesia to carry out continuous improvements. This is what is called continuous improvement,” he added.

Therefore, the government is encouraging universities to renew their knowledge every four years, or even every two years, as in advanced countries.

According to him, if every study programme in Indonesia carries out continuous improvements, this is referred to as continuous improvement.

“For example, with AI, how do we handle this? There is IoT, and in the future, there will be quantum computing. We must change it so that when graduates enter the workforce, they are aligned with the technological developments that will be used four years from now,” he explained.

“Later, there may be some things that we need to execute in a not too long time regarding study programmes that need to be selected, sorted, and if necessary, closed, to increase this relevance,” said the Secretary General of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Badri Munir Sukoco, at the 2026 National Population Symposium on Thursday (23/4/2026), quoted from the broadcast on the Ministry of Population and Family Development’s YouTube channel.

Badri said that the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology will compile study programmes needed in the future.

This determination will also be based on studies from the Higher Education Cares for Population (PTPK) programme.