UI seeks approval to manage own funds, resources
UI seeks approval to manage own funds, resources
JAKARTA (JP): The rector of the state-owned University of Indonesia (UI) wants the government to give the university the autonomy to manage its own funds and human resources, in order to improve standards and face global competition in the future.
The university's rector, M.K. Tadjudin, told reporters after the graduation ceremony of the university's postgraduates programs that the request does not mean the university will want to be fully independent from the government.
"We only want the autonomy to manage our funds and human resources, to make our own budget, and to be responsible for that," Tadjudin said.
Graduation day took place at UI's campus in Depok, south of here on Saturday.
The university gets an annual budget from the government in the state budget. In addition to that money, the university also receives money from the public through tuition fees, he said.
On a separate occasion Slamet Abidin, head of the administration and finance bureau at the university, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that the university gets Rp 40 billion (US$17.4 million) in the annual budget from the government. From tuition fees, the university raises around Rp 22 billion, he said.
Tadjudin said that under the current system, the university is treated like a state-owned company which has to follow certain rules in managing its budget and its human resources.
"Sometimes we have to wait for the money from the state budget to set up new programs or to hire qualified lecturers," he cited.
The government has to reform the management of state-owned universities, Tadjudin said in his address.
Universities deserve the freedom to use the money collected from their business to fund their own programs in the future.
He said Malaysia and Thailand, which spend more on their state universities than Indonesia does, have applied new management to their universities.
"Without reforms, the management of higher education may lead to ineffectiveness or instability, which could be politicized. If this happens, higher education will find it hard to function, and will fail to fulfill its duty, producing qualified and adequate human resources for national development," he said.
"We need qualified people who can compete with foreigners. As universities are a sub-system of the national education system, reform is not only the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Culture but also of other ministries such as Ministry of Finance and the office of the state minister of administrative reforms," Tadjudin said. "Political guts are needed to make changes."
556 students of postgraduates programs graduated on Saturday. Graduation day coincided with the 46th anniversary of the university.
The university also awarded its Best Young Researchers (peneliti muda berprestasi), the Best Research and the International Scientific Journal Writers prizes for 1995.
Among the winners were Omas Bulan Rajagukguk - the best researchers in social, culture and humanity category, Endang L. Achadi, MJ Hansell, N.L. Sloan, M.A. Anderson - who achieved two awards as the best writers in international scientific journals and also the best research in health and medical category. (31)