Thesis and human resources

Thesis and human resources

From Bisnis Indonesia

The abolishment of the academic system that obliges university students to write theses is a pragmatic solution which may have a serious impact in the future. It is pragmatic because there are assumptions that thesis writing is an obstacle for a student to finish his or her studies. Many are apparently not fully aware of the danger of having low-quality graduates which will in turn become a threat to our business sector. Why?

The global economy will inevitably be based on knowledge or knowledge-based economies. In this economic setting the competence of a nation depends largely on the quality of its human resources. We should realize that writing a thesis is a crucial exercise in enhancing intellectual capacity and creativity. Quality human resources are an invaluable asset which can ascertain the existence of a nation in its struggle to be ever competitive.

Thus, abolishment of the thesis constitutes a barrier to the effort of producing quality human resources. Low-quality manpower will be suitable for only repetitive and routine work, whereas the people's intellectual capacity will remain idle. People of this type will find it difficult to comprehend the swiftness of electronic marvels such as the Internet information system and World Wide Web through Hypertext Mark-Up Language if they have only a mediocre intellectual background.

BAMBANG HARYANTO

Jakarta