Private college forum supports government rule

Private college forum supports government rule

JAKARTA (JP): BM-PTSI, a forum of private universities, said
yesterday that it fully supports the government's plan to
regulate the way private colleges are being administered.

BM-PTSI chairman Moeslim Tahir said that after studying the
proposal in depth, he does not see the proposed decree of the
Ministry of Education and Culture as tantamount to interfering in
the affairs of the universities.

Moeslim said the decree intends to set the parameters for
national education. "That's entirely the right of the
government."

The proposal has drawn protests from a number of private
university operators who view it as an attempt by the government
to meddle too much in their internal affairs.

Critics are particularly concerned that the decree also lets
the government in on some non-academic matters, such as financing
and administration.

The government justifies its intention of issuing the decree
chiefly to ensure that the interests of private university
students are well protected.

In the past year, a number of leading private universities
have been beset by internal problems, mostly over the selection
of rectors, often at the expense of the students. The decree, if
passed, would empower the government to intervene.

Moeslim said he and other executives of the forum were privy
to the first draft of the decree, something which had never been
done before. "This is the first time that the Ministry of
Education and Culture consulted us before issuing a new
regulation."

He said the government had also invited the forum, together
with legal experts, to work out its own version of the decree.

The first draft of the decree is simply a starting point, and
the government has encouraged the debate so that it could improve
upon the ruling.

The role of private universities and colleges is getting
bigger all the time. There are currently some 1.6 million
students registered at thousands of private universities and
colleges.

The government-owned colleges number only 49 and can
accommodate only 600,000 students. (emb)