Senate Member States UINSA Rector Resigned Following Student Protests
The Rector of Sunan Amperm State Islamic University (UINSA) Surabaya, East Java, Prof Akh Muzakki, is reported to have officially resigned following a wave of student demonstrations that resulted in the sealing of the campus.
A resignation letter has been confirmed to have been sent to and received by the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag). This was confirmed by a member of the University Senate, Prof KH Imam Ghazali Said.
“It is true [Muzakki has sent his resignation letter to Kemenag]. The letter was sent yesterday at 10:00 PM WIB and arrived at Kemenag this morning,” said the Professor of Classical Islamic Thought History when confirmed on Wednesday (23/9).
According to Imam, Akh Muzakki’s resignation from the rector position for the 2026-2030 period has been approved by Kemenag. Consequently, he stated that the highest leadership position at UINSA will be temporarily filled by an Acting Rector (Plt).
He explained that this step was taken to avoid a leadership vacuum while waiting for the process of appointing a new rector.
“The information is that an Acting Rector will follow, as the Decree (SK) has already been issued. I actually proposed that there should be no Acting Rector, but it turns out that is not possible because the Decree is already in place; therefore, to prevent a vacancy, an Acting Rector will be appointed,” he said.
As of the time of publication, neither the Ministry of Religious Affairs nor Muzakki has issued an official statement.
Nevertheless, the news of Akh Muzakki’s resignation has not prompted students to lift the campus seal. The UINSA Student Executive Council (DEMA) refuses to accept the news at face value and is demanding normative proof of the rector’s resignation before ending the boycott.
The Vice President of DEMA UINSA, Fadlurrakhman Fazle Purwardana, emphasised that they require tangible administrative evidence, rather than mere rumours, news reports, or verbal statements from third parties.
“If it is indeed true that the rector has decided to resign, what we want is normative proof that he has resigned. Not through news, not through statements or talk,” said Fadlurrakhman at the UINSA Surabaya Campus 1 on Wednesday.
He also challenged Muzakki to come directly to the campus to meet representatives of the Student Senate and DEMA if he cannot provide a copy of the official letter. He requested that the rector announce his resignation publicly.
“So that it can strengthen all the assumptions stating that he has stepped down,” he added.
Fadlurrakhman stated that as long as this ‘black and white’ evidence has not been submitted, students will ensure the campus sealing continues. As a result of this blockade, in-person teaching activities have come to a complete standstill and have been forced to move online. However, DEMA guarantees that administrative services for students and alumni will continue to run normally.
“We are not placing any restrictions on educational staff [tendik] who wish to carry out public services, such as services for alumni or students,” explained Fadlurrakhman.
Previously, the Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, admitted to being surprised by the case of the Rector election at UINSA, which was rejected by students. Nasaruddin explained that he had previously consulted with the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education regarding this issue. He did not expect the rector election to become such a serious controversy, as previous processes had always run smoothly.
“In fact, some time ago we consulted with colleagues from Ristekdikti… because every rector election used to run smoothly,” Nasaruddin said during a Hearing with Commission VIII on Tuesday (22/9).
“There has never been unrest such as what has occurred in several other higher education institutions,” he added.
He also noted that the regulations for electing a rector remain the same, yet a controversy has emerged specifically at UINSA.
“For Surabaya, I am honestly surprised. We used the same machinery, the same laws and regulations, yet the reaction produced is different,” Nasaruddin said.
Nasaruddin emphasised that he will closely examine the situation regarding the rector and the students at UINSA. He will also review the regulations to see if any deviations have occurred.
“Certainly, there are matters that I personally must scrutinise regarding what is actually happening in Surabaya. I must look at it from the perspective of the regulations—is there any deviation from the regulations we follow?” he continued.