UIN Jakarta Rector: Harkitnas must be a momentum for national reflection

Jakarta — Rector of UIN Jakarta Asep Saepudin Jahar said that the 2026 National Awakening Day (Hari Kebangkitan Nasional, Harkitnas) anniversary should become a reflective moment for the nation to evaluate the direction of Indonesia’s journey amid global changes that are increasingly competitive, digital, and uncertain. ‘Harkitnas 2026 must be a momentum to strengthen solidarity and national cohesion in setting strategic steps toward Indonesia Emas 2045,’ Asep said in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday. Asep said that the national awakening of the 21st century will be determined by the nation’s ability to build human resource excellence, mastery of science and technology, strengthening social solidarity, and national autonomy amid competition for global influence. He noted Indonesia has huge capital to become a new world power through a demographic bonus, abundant natural resources, strategic geopolitical position, and the power of culture and religion. ‘However, all these potentials will not be meaningful without serious investment in building superior human capital,’ Asep said. Therefore, the rector emphasised that today’s national awakening must begin with a future-oriented education revolution. Indonesian education must no longer be trapped in a culture of memorisation and administrative processes alone, but should foster creativity, research, innovation, and adaptive capacity. In the context of higher education, he highlighted the proud achievements of Indonesian higher education in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 in the field of Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies. ‘This achievement proves that Indonesian higher education, including PTKIN, is able to compete at the global level when focusing on building distinction and academic excellence,’ he said. According to him, the success also shows Indonesia’s considerable potential to become a world reference centre for moderate Islam that is compatible with democracy, modernity, and the development of science. Nevertheless, Asep reminded that the challenges facing Indonesia’s higher education remain large, particularly in terms of research quality, the downstreaming of innovation, mastery of technology, and global competitiveness across the board. In addition to education, he also stressed the importance of building national autonomy through strengthening domestic industry, downstreaming of natural resources, strengthening the people’s economy, and building autonomous national research. ‘A nation that fails to master technology will become a market for other countries. Conversely, a nation capable of developing technology will become a major player in the global arena,’ he said. He added that national awakening must also be supported by social solidarity, national unity, and strong public ethics amid challenges of political polarization, a flood of digital information, and rising social individualism.