Study while working? Why not!

Study while working? Why not!

A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

 Although his position as the assistant manager for public
relations of the Hotel Nikko Jakarta took up almost all his time,
Sugeng Purnomo's drive to continue his studies remained strong:
He wanted to get a bachelor degree.
 "Study is important in my life. It could be conducted formally
in university or during job training," Sugeng, who graduated from
the SMAN 1 state high school in Banyuwangi, East Java, in 1994,
told The Jakarta Post recently.
 The 28-year-old executive admitted that it was his
considerable experience in the hotel and tourism industry, rather
than a school diploma, that enabled him able to reach his
current position in the office.
 Still, Sugeng, who is now a student in a bachelor degree (S1)
program in communication sciences at Satya Negara Indonesia
University (USNI) in Jakarta, believes an S1 degree would support
him in pursuing his career.

Sugeng, who took an evening classes, plans to move to USNI's
Saturday-Sunday Program, due to his limited time from Monday to
Friday.
 Besides USNI, there are dozens of other universities in the
country that offer programs where lecture are conducted on
Saturday and Sunday.
 However, students must be careful in selecting their
university. The selection should be based on quality, rather than
education costs. There are a number of universities that "sell"
diplomas for a cheap price. Students may well get a diplomas, but
not the most important things: knowledge and skills.
 Recent cases involving thousands of people, including some
former high-ranking state officials, using phony degrees from
fake universities selling bachelor, masters and doctoral diplomas
should be a lesson for many people.

A former vice president, a political party leader, top dangdut
singers, television actors and actresses, were reportedly among
people who received doctoral degrees from a foundation that said
it represented "American Global University".

Police found the university to be fake and arrested officials
of the foundation.

All their "graduates" received their "doctoral" certificates
and study transcripts despite the fact they had never attended a
class.

Good universities that run Saturday-Sunday programs for
workers usually require their students to attend classes like
regular students.
 Among universities that offer Saturday-Sunday programs
Pancasila University. The Jakarta State University also has a
special distance-learning program for students that also requires
workers to attend several "meeting sessions" with lecturers.

Pancasila University's program officer Warsono said the
Saturday-Sunday program given to workers was similar to the
program offered to regular students.

"They (the workers) are taught by those who teach regular
students and they also use the same books used by regular
students," he said.

Warsono said the employee program is conducted from 2 p.m. to
5:30 p.m. on Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 5 on Sunday at the
university campus in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta.

The university offers two majors in their program: industrial
engineering and economy, which could be completed in eight
semesters, he said.

Pancasila University along with four other universities have
also established an information center and a joint website on
their Saturday-Sunday programs. The other four universities are
Tujuh Belas Agustus University (Untag), Kampus Ungu Asmi
University, Indonesian Institute of Technology and STT Texmaco
Institute of Technology.

Laila, the center's coordinator, said the universities will
continue to improve the quality of the programs to meet the
demand for quality graduates.

"The employees are studying here because of they want to
improve their knowledge, not just hoping for a diploma," Laila
said.

She revealed that many participants in the Saturday-Sunday
program had been promoted in their respective companies or got
better jobs in other companies after graduating.

Work should not be considered an impediment to improving
knowledge and skills. The Saturday-Sunday programs could be an
alternative for people to advance their proficiency without
leaving their jobs.

Study while working? Why not!

University Enrollment fee Tuition fee/semester

STT Texmaco Rp 2.3 million Rp 2 million
Kampus Ungu Asmi Rp 2.34 million Rp 1 million
Untag Rp 3.9 million Rp 2 million
Pancasila Rp 5.9 million Rp 3 million
ITI Rp 5.9 million Rp 3 million