Students should choose universities wisely

By K. Basrie

JAKARTA (JP): Picking a university may be one of the most difficult and divisive tasks for high school graduates and their parents.

In Indonesia, most students are financially dependent on their parents, but it is not only the cost of tuition they worry about.

Many students are torn between their own selection and the choice of their parents, often forsaking their preference under heavy parental pressure.

Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro agreed that choosing a school is one of the main problems facing Indonesian students. He said 40 percent of high school graduates in Indonesia opt for a school based on their parents' recommendation.

The minister discussed the issue of making the right choice of a university with The Jakarta Post at his office on Jl. Jend. Sudirman in South Jakarta on Thursday.

Question:How do you see our newly graduated senior high school students making their choice of university?

Answer: According to data collected from an informal study, about 40 percent of them go to the university selected by their parents. Another 40 percent choose the school because they are interested in the subjects; the remaining 20 percent just follow their friends.

But this was not an in-depth study. As far as I know, there is no comprehensive study on the issue. We learned that some high school graduates do not care about which school they go to just so long as they are registered as university students.

What are your recommendations to fresh graduates in choosing the right school?

It's a difficult problem. When you're young, you always change your mind, don't you? Sometimes, one wants to be an astronaut and plans to go to a mechanical engineering school. But suddenly there is a change of mind, and thoughts turn to being an architect.

But you may later find out that the talent is not there. That's why it is so important for senior high school teachers to give the compulsory psychology test to their students.

But fresh graduates would like to hear your suggestions so they can avoid making mistakes.

Well, they should gather as much information, such as catalogs and brochures, as they can. They can obtain them by writing letters to universities or visiting exhibitions. Teachers could help these efforts so that the students are well-informed about the available facilities at many universities before the date of enrollment comes around.

At the (university) expos, students can view a wide range of universities with a variety of facilities. There are a lot of alternatives there. That's why we always promote exhibitions. On the other hand, universities should be more aggressive in promoting what they offer to senior high school students. Unfortunately, this part is still weak.

Some say the number of graduates is much bigger than the places available at the local universities here. In short, there is a imbalance. How do you explain this?

That is a wrong conclusion and not relevant. Not all of the students could and should go to university. Some of them go to work or take courses. Being able to continue studying at the university level depends on various conditions. One of them is the economic issue.

So, it's not a must. There are numerous opportunities out there for talented people. Our latest data shows that 510,000 students, or about 40 percent of the annual total of 1.3 million senior high school graduates, continued on to universities. The remaining number go to work or take short courses.

Which is better for the graduates - continuing studies or going directly into the job market?

It depends on their parents and the students themselves. From another point of view, our country needs more and more university and non-degree program graduates in the workforce. The higher the number, the higher the quality of our workforce will be.

Of our 86 million workforce, just four percent are university and non-degree program graduates. With the current figure of 240,000 non-degree program and university graduates per year, it means that Indonesia needs 20 more years just to reach 10 percent. Imagine how many years it will take if we want to overtake Japan (21 percent) or South Korea (40 percent).

What is your opinion on the increasing cost of tuition at most universities in the country?

Expense is relative, depending on the facilities offered by the universities. Many universities also provide scholarships. For state universities, the government subsidizes Rp 7 million (approximately US$2,990) per student per year. The rate reflects the minimum standard quality of universities in this country. Based on the figure, one could note the standard quality of privately owned universities if they could not reach the standard rate.

What are your feelings on the growing trend to study abroad?

It's no big problem. When our students cannot find appropriate universities for their interest, such as science and technology, why don't they go abroad and find something better there. But please don't forget to come back and apply the scientific knowledge for the sake of our country.

But I have a strong message for both students and parents. Before choosing the schools, please ..., once again, please look closely and carefully at the catalogs. Don't be easily enticed by the attractive advertisements of the universities.

What did you do when your children wanted to go to university?

I was a typical persuasive parent. I just prodded them. When they were wavering, I came by and gave them ideas and suggestions on which university they should attend.