UII Rector Urges Strengthening Ethics and Basic Sciences in Educating Gen Z

The Rector of Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) has stated that higher education institutions must remember their primary goal is to educate students, rather than focusing excessively on lecturer activities. He noted that many graduates currently achieve cum laude honours, yet questions remain over whether they truly possess the competencies and abilities appropriate to their fields of study. Speaking at a gathering of career development centres from Islamic universities across Indonesia, he emphasised that a university’s success should be measured by graduates completing their studies on time and securing employment immediately, ideally achieving a zero-month waiting period between graduation and their first job.

The rector drew particular attention to the characteristics of Generation Z, who possess notable strengths in innovation, especially in leveraging artificial intelligence to complete tasks rapidly. However, he cautioned that these students often lack resilience when facing high-pressure situations and frequently display inadequate ethics and a poor work ethic. He argued that during their early studies, Gen Z students require a strong foundation in basic sciences and ethics, recommending that senior lecturers with mature scientific and philosophical understanding should teach them, rather than younger faculty members.

He also urged universities to examine the declining interest in faculties and departments grounded in mathematics, physics, and chemistry, describing the trend as deeply concerning for Indonesia’s future. The rector warned that the country is seeing an influx of foreign engineers because the number of local graduates in exact sciences is dwindling, a direct consequence of reduced interest in these foundational disciplines.