Rectors' Forum backs special university entry

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Rectors' Forum supported on Friday the implementation of special admission at state universities, but at the same time called on the government to draft a law providing subsidies for intelligent students with less fortunate backgrounds to enter state universities.

"It (the special admission) is fine, but we must consider drafting a law ensuring that subsidies reach poor people wanting to study at state universities," Trisakti University rector Thoby Mutis said.

The Rectors' Forum involves both state-owned and private universities across the country.

Thoby said using the fees collected from rich students was necessary to subsidize poorer students.

Thoby also called on businesspeople to follow measures taken by their counterparts in advanced countries to allocate 15 percent of profits for social activities, including education.

Chairman of the Rectors' Forum, Zulkifli Husin, who is the rector of Bengkulu University, concurred with Thoby, but noted that state-owned universities must also ensure that their facilities and education standards were improving.

Several state universities, including the University of Indonesia (UI), the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) and the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM), have implemented a special admission for new students with fees more expensive than those required for normal students.

UI has allocated a maximum quota of 20 percent of 3,000 new student seats for the special admission program. Students who pass the special admission test will be required to pay fees of between Rp 25 million and Rp 75 million.

ITB has allotted 200 seats for students from the special admission scheme with tuition fees of Rp 45 million, while IPB earmarked a 10 percent quota out of 3,000 new student seats for special admission students.

The special admission program has sparked protests from most students and people in the country, who are worried the move is the beginning of the commercialization of education.

Many fear that poor people will not be able to enter state universities because of the expensive tuition fees.

The government has responded to the controversy by allowing state universities to decide whether or not they will continue with the program.

Zulkifli said the special admission program should be tested for up to two years.

"But if the government raises the education budget from about Rp 13 trillion or 4 percent of the total state budget at present to about 10 percent, we can guarantee that such a special admission is no longer necessary."

Sri Sumantri, rector of Jayabaya University, said the special admission program could help state universities finance its human resources to carry out research, study abroad, improve their education system, therefore improving the quality of the state universities and their graduates.