UI will soon open program of evening courses
UI will soon open program of evening courses
JAKARTA (JP): The University of Indonesia will offer more
courses for working people planning to continue their studies,
with the opening of a graduate extension program of the Faculty
of Social and Political Sciences.
"We are giving priority to working citizens and high school
graduates who are no longer qualified to take university entrance
exams," Budyatna, the dean of the faculty, announced at the
Aryaduta Hotel on Friday.
The university already has several diploma programs.
The continuing education program, which starts on Oct. 2 from
4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., will include classes in communications,
politics and administration studies. Registration opens on June
15.
"These are the favorite departments judging from applications
in previous years, but through the university entrance exams the
chances are too small to succeed," Budyatna said.
High school graduates are entitled to take the university
entrance examinations twice successively after their year of
graduation.
Last year around 422,000 participants took the tests for
61,578 seats at 49 state-owned higher education institutions
across the country. Less than 2,500 were accepted for graduate
programs at the University of Indonesia.
"It does not necessarily mean that the remainder who failed
are stupid," said Budyatna. As in the case of the Faculty of
Social and Political Sciences, space is also a problem, he said.
The new program will be able to take up to 500 students,
compared to only around 250 in the regular program.
He added that financial problems had delayed the realization
of the program, which is chaired by a noted professor of
political studies, Arbi Sanit.
Students of the new extension program will pay Rp 2.4 million
(US$1,073.85) per year, while those of the government-subsidized
regular program pay Rp 800,000 a year. Scholarships will also be
considered, said Budyatna.
The new program, he said, will also be able to "tame our
teaching staff" who have so far had to supplement their earnings
with jobs off campus in Depok, south of here.
In addition to their civil servant salaries, evening teachers
will be paid at least Rp 100,000 per session.
The jobs will go to senior professors, Sanit said, as the
evening students will pay higher fees.
However, efforts to improve the regular program will start
with "parallel classes" designed to "enhance competition between
professors." "We will have up to six parallel classes with
different lecturers teaching one subject," said Sanit. This is
possible with a total number of 429 teaching staff.
Critics of university education have lamented the frequent
practice of both students and professors only relying on
summaries of professorial lectures, which have not changed over
several years. With competition, Sanit said, professors will
design better teaching material. (anr)