Unhas Strengthens Student Organisations in Policy Idea Governance

Universitas Hasanuddin (Unhas) is strengthening the intellectual and advocacy capacities of student organisations, particularly in processing ideas and research findings into impactful policy recommendations, through a Career Class titled “Writing Policy Briefs”.

The event specifically targets executives of student organisations (Ormawa), ranging from the Student Executive Board (BEM), student associations, Student Activity Units (UKM), to various other organisations within the Unhas environment.

Unhas Director of Student Affairs, Abdullah Sanusi PhD, stated in Makassar on Thursday that the class is designed not only as academic reinforcement but also as career preparation for students active in organisations.

“We deliberately invited institution executives and packaged it as a career class because there are careers that require these skills. Moreover, our speakers have extensive experience in policymaking,” he said.

He also highlighted the great potential of Unhas students’ scientific works that have not been fully utilised as a basis for policy.

“Every year at Unhas, there are around 10,000 scientific works. From that number, isn’t there any that can be pushed into impactful policies?” Abdullah remarked.

Meanwhile, Prof Agussalim, a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Business at Unhas, in his material emphasised that the “policy brief” is part of an academic tradition with significant impact, although it is currently less popular than scientific journal publications.

He explained that the “policy brief” has a strategic role because it directly targets policymakers, thereby encouraging the birth of data- and fact-based policies.

“Good research that is not communicated well is the same as research that was never done,” Prof Agussalim stressed.

Furthermore, he elaborated on the general characteristics of policymakers, including their tendency to dislike overly scientific and lengthy writings, and preference for concise writings based on facts that offer practical and easily implementable recommendations.