UI needs additional funds for educational activities
UI needs additional funds for educational activities
JAKARTA (JP): University of Indonesia's rector, M.K. Tadjudin, has asked for financial support from students' parents, donors, and former students because the money from the government to fund its educational activities is inadequate.
Speaking on Saturday at a graduation ceremony at the university's Depok campus, south of here, Tadjudin told the audience that much money is needed to maintain the quality of the university.
"I hope you don't mind if we ask for your support in order to maintain our university's quality, " he said.
University of Indonesia (UI), established in 1950, is well- known by its nickname "the ministers' school" because many of the university's graduates are now cabinet ministers, including Minister of Health Sujudi, Minister of Finance Mar'ie Muhammad and Governor of Bank Indonesia Soedradjad Djiwandono.
As many as 1,087 students, including 179 students of the extension program, graduated on Saturday.
Tadjudin said the minimum cost to fund a student is Rp 3 million (US$1,304) per year. While in reality, the government provides only a half of the cost needed.
Rp 3 million for each university student annually might be the lowest in ASEAN countries, the professor said, adding that the ideal cost is Rp 6 million. Malaysia's Malaya University allocates Rp 10 million for each student per annum, he said.
Tadjudin said that with a total of 26,000 students the university needs at least Rp 78 billion, not including operational costs such as building maintenance. The government has set aside only Rp 75 billion in total costs from its 1996/1997 budget, he said.
One university source said that from tuition fees, the university raises around Rp 22 billion annually.
"The university needs more money to fund its educational and operational costs. The bureaucracy, however, have restricted the university's move to get additional money," Tadjudin told The Jakarta Post after the ceremony.
To obtain funds, the university must list and report all activities to the Ministry of Education and Culture. The university cannot hold any activities, including a fund raising project, without the ministry's recognition and approval, Tadjudin said.
"Therefore, we need more autonomy to seek more funds and manage our funds," he said.
Tadjudin said that with more freedom the university could have more ways to get money, including joining scientific cooperation with other parties.
He did not say whether the freedom also meant an increase in tuition fees.
"With more money we could also pay the lecturers more," he said.
The small salary has caused some lecturers to look for side jobs, usually teaching in private universities, Tadjudin said.
"Fresh lecturers in the university get Rp 150,000 per month each. The amount increases to Rp 250,000 for those who get functional allowance. My salary is only Rp 1.5 million per month," Tadjudin told the Post.
"If we had more money, we could pay those lecturers so that they could give their full time to lecture at the university," he said.
Tadjudin made a similar appeal last week, asking the government to give the university autonomy to manage its own funds and human resources.
He made the statement at the graduation ceremony of the university's postgraduates program. He said that requesting more autonomy does not mean that the university wants to be fully independent from the government.
"The government has to reform the management of state-owned universities," he said last week.
Without reforms, the management of higher education might lead to ineffectiveness or instability, which could be politicized, he added. (01)