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.