Satya Wacana rector says only 20 lecturers quit
Satya Wacana rector says only 20 lecturers quit
JAKARTA (JP): The rector of Satya Wacana Christian University
said only 20 staff lecturers have resigned from the college, not
50 as previously reported.
John JOI Ihalau, speaking by phone from the campus in
Salatiga, Central Java, was responding to yesterday's report in
The Jakarta Post regarding the mass resignation.
"I don't want to give any comment on the matter because the
matter is over," Ihalau said. "But the number of lecturers who
resigned -- each for different reasons -- is 20 and not 50 as
reported," he said.
Yesterday's report suggested that at least 50 staff lecturers
had resigned in response to a protracted conflict with the
rector. Among those reportedly resigning were noted scholars Nico
L. Kana, dean of post-graduate studies, Ariel Heryanto,
Sumarthana, Ferryanto and Bintoro Gunadi, names which have helped
make the university one of the finest and most prestigious in the
country.
Ihalau declined to give the names of the 20 who have resigned,
nor would he confirm if they are the same 20 who were suspended
in September after violence involving lecturers and students
broke out on campus.
He said some lecturers officially had resigned but that the
others simply left without giving notice.
The lecturers who resigned belong to the "pro-democracy group"
which has been protesting the appointment of John JOI Ihalau as
college rector for three years.
They also oppose the expulsion of sociologist Arief Budiman
from the university in 1994.
Most of the lecturers resigning said they could not accept the
terms offered by the administrators to return to work.
Meanwhile in Jakarta, a senior official of the Ministry of
Education and Culture warned that the mass resignation could
affect the university's level of accreditation.
Director of Private Higher Education Joetata Hadihardaja said
he regretted the resignations, despite both sides having signed a
truce in November in which they agreed to work out a settlement.
The university should consider what effect the resignations
might have on its accreditation level, he said.
"The resignations will no doubt affect the ratio between
lecturers and students," Joetata told the Post.
Ideally, a lecturer should teach about 25 students in exact
and natural sciences and 30 in non-exact disciplines, he said.
"With the mass resignation, the ministry will have to reevaluate
the university's accreditation level," he added.
The ministry gives three grades to private universities. The
top is reserved for those rated as "equivalent" to the best
state universities; the next group is simply "recognized" as a
university and the lowest is simply registered.
Satya Wacana is accredited as being "equivalent" to state
universities. Under this qualification, the minimum lecturer-to-
student ratio is one to 25 in exact sciences.
"It would be a pity if the university lost its top
accreditation because of the resignations," Joetata said.
The government's Private Universities Coordinating Board will
appeal to Satya Wacana administrators to resolve the matter
wisely, "If the university has to let the lecturers go, it should
keep the number to a minimum."
Many of the lecturers who resigned are now applying for
teaching jobs at universities in Central Java such as the
Soegiyapranoto University in Semarang, the Sanata Darma
University in Yogyakarta and Muhammadiyah University in Surakarta
and Yogyakarta. (31)