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)