Soleh Solahuddin, the shuttling rector

Soleh Solahuddin, the shuttling rector

By Joko Suwarno

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Prof. Soleh Solahuddin has to shuttle
between Bogor and Kendari these days. Appointed rector of the
Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) in March, Soleh has been
asked to stay on as rector of Haluuleo University in Kendari,
Southeast Sulawesi, a post he has held since 1990.

But Bogor is where his heart is.

The state-run institute is not only his alma mater, it is also
where he has spent most of his academic career.

In spite of his busy schedule here and in Kendari, 52-year-old
Soleh manages to find time for his favorite pastimes: reading and
working out on his stationary bicycle, morning walks and jogging.
He has also taken up golf which he describes as "appropriate" for
the 50-something generation.

Then there is his family. His marriage to Siti Sianah produced
six children: Haryadi, 26, who works in Bali; Ani Dwi Gustiana,
25, recently graduated from the University of Padjadjaran; Adi
Satya, 23, a student at IPB, and 22-year-old triplets Erna
Agustini who's at IPB, Hendra Agustian at the University of
Indonesia and Erni Agustina at Padjadjaran.

"Hard work is what we need to reach our ideals. We need
perseverance and dedication in our work, to prevent frustration
and despair," Soleh told The Jakarta Post.

Born in Garut, West Java, on April 22, 1944, Soleh completed
primary school in Jakarta and high school in Bandung. In 1963 he
was accepted at the school of agriculture of the University of
Indonesia, just before the school became IPB.

He stayed on to teach at the institute after graduating in
1972. In 1975 he studied agronomy and plant physiology at the
University of Wisconsin in the U.S. He obtained his PhD in 1980.

His career blossomed at IPB, and he became the dean of the
School of Agriculture in 1986. In 1990, he was asked to become
rector of Haluuleo University. In March this year he was asked to
return to Bogor to lead the institute.

Professor Soleh agreed to an interview with The Jakarta Post
in connection with his new job and his vision for the institute.
Here are excerpts.

What is your opinion on the state of our educational system?

Prof. Soleh: I think our education system has been fairly
successful, but there are no grounds for complacency. We're still
facing a lot of challenges. Our education system is not producing
as many graduates as we need for development. We must also be
more responsive towards the criticism that we are not producing
graduates who are ready to work.

What steps do you propose to remedy this?

We must strike the right balance between the curricula used
and the teaching methods. We are developing a "link and match"
concept designed to make higher education institutes deliver what
is required by the community.

What are your plans for IPB?

Maintain the institute's high academic standards and enhance
the quality of our research work.

We are also turning the IPB into a center of information for
agrobusiness activities, at least for the Asia-Pacific region. We
already have several centers of information within the institute.
But as a whole we are not effective enough.

We are also developing a biotechnology program because it
relates to the competitiveness of our agricultural commodities at
home and abroad. Without biotechnology, I think our country will
be left behind even further by our neighbors.

How do you plan to maintain or strengthen academic standards?

There are three steps in an education system: input, process
and output. Students are part of the input. One proceeds
objectively by selecting potential from the whole of Indonesia.
Students are judged on their qualifications. Our new campus has a
high number of high-standard educational facilities and
infrastructure on par with international standards in education.
We have made a lot of progress thanks to government and foreign
aid.

The second component is the process and for this we need high-
quality teaching staff. We have to push forward our efforts to
improve the quality of lecturers. We hope that eventually all our
lecturers will hold PhDs. A third of our staff already do. This
proportion will be increased gradually. You can only produce
quality graduates if you have good lecturers.

What about public recognition of IPB's academic standards?

IPB graduates are widely sought after by employers. Our
graduates also enjoy advantages over others in the job
recruitment process. At Unilever, for example, IPB graduates are
among those who score the highest in recruitment tests.

Another testament of recognition is the numerous cooperation
projects that IPB has through its Inter-University Center, some
with institutions abroad. There are also projects on a national
level like the University Research and Graduate Education, a
program to develop higher education institutes.

How is the management of the IPB going to change?

I hope to restore the role and function of the various units
at the institute in accordance with their position in the
organizational structure. That means that if there is a tendency
of certain units to work by themselves or there is not enough
coordination, we will force the cooperation of all units under
IPB. All the institute's assets must be used effectively. This
seemingly unimportant aspect is actually very basic and
essential. It prevents units from going their own way.

What about other aspects of management?

We will develop cleanliness, beauty and orderliness to make
the campus atmosphere more dynamic and conducive. Many IPB
assets, which have been built at great pain and cost, cannot be
fully utilized or maintained and are therefore of little use,
like IPB's sports facilities. We must make the best possible use
of them. They can be used by IPB people, and also by outsiders
for a reasonable fee to pay towards their upkeep. The IPB can
learn from other campuses how to make the most of existing
facilities.

Another aspect I would like to develop is an atmosphere that
is really conducive for students to develop their creativity and
dynamics as students and as young people. IPB administrators and
the students must speak the same language. The students have both
rights and obligations. Their obligations include studying,
abiding by the rules, striving for the highest marks, and their
rights include the right to develop themselves; they also have
autonomy in thinking.

Tell me about IPB funding.

We need managers with a strong nose for business and
enthusiasm to get things moving. IPB must be managed with a eye
on business. We've got the assets, but are selling ourselves
short.

We run management courses. But we should not only teach
outsiders about management, we must put it into practice. We
create skillful and competitive managers, but our own management
is chaotic.

IPB is not that bad, but it would be good if we could improve,
so that the institute will not be too great a burden on the
community. The IPB must generate its own money and be less
dependent on government subsidies.

Why don't you privatize parts of IPB?

This is a possibility, but only in the framework of
cooperation. In cases where we do not have the necessary
expertise, we could recruit people from outside. Our assets are
growing, and if we do not have good management, we risk turning
those assets into white elephants.

How are you preparing your students for globalization?

From the beginning, we try to instill in our students the
desire to be competitive. We try to motivate them to exploit
their full potential. We encourage apprenticeship programs for
students so that they get a taste of working in the real world.
We also teach logical and systematic thinking. We must combine
all these factors. So studying at IPB is not simply a matter of
attending classes, doing practical work, studying, obtaining high
marks and passing examinations. These alone are not sufficient.
Attending university means acquiring physical and mental
resilience, hard work, developing one's potential, and logical
powers.

What are the problems facing Indonesian farmers and the
Indonesian agriculture sector these days?

Our farmers suffer from unfavorable terms of trade. They work
hard to increase output, but if you look at the industrial
products they have to buy, their purchasing power has declined.
This is the reason why our farmers remain poor. This is a
nationwide problem that cannot be solved by the agricultural
sector alone.

The best we can do is make proposals. We have proposed that
agriculture prices be determined by market forces rather than
controlled by the government. What's the price of rice now? Rp
600 to Rp 700 a kilogram? If prices were not controlled they
could go up to Rp 1,000 to Rp 1,500. This sounds frightening, but
it's the risk we have to take if we want to improve the welfare
of our farmers. When the price of chili soared last year, we made
a great fuss over it. Personally, I think the price of chili
should be allowed to increase so that farmers can make some
profit.

We also need to arrest the conversion of productive farm land
into nonagricultural land, especially in Java. Conversion is
occurring at a rapid rate, sacrificing first-class fertile land
with access to good irrigation networks that have been built at
great cost. Suddenly factories are being built on these plots.
The farmers may receive compensation, but their productivity
becomes nil. Land usage is a complex problem. Should we let this
trend go unchecked, and pursue another strategy, for example,
developing agriculture outside Java? Industry should also be
encouraged to develop outside Java. So far, we have no clear
strategy.

We need to make our agriculture sector more competitive in
anticipation of free trade. This is decisive for our future. But
we also need to protect our consumers and farmers. Currently
there are no regulations regarding the importing of agricultural
products. Just look at the invasion of foreign fruit. Abroad,
foreign countries restrict agricultural imports. They bar the
importation of fruit containing a certain percentage of
herbicide. There are no such regulations in this country. Do not
be fooled by appearances. An analysis will show that the chemical
content of some of the fruit sold here is dangerous. So our own
agricultural produce has been making way for foreign products
which may be bad for our health.

How do you expect the graduates of IPB to solve the problems
of farmers and agriculture?

They have to be idealistic and defend the farmers. IPB's
orientation towards farmers and agriculture must be maintained.