Students of senior high school SMA Negeri 2 Yogyakarta distribute nasi bungkus (wrapped rice) and milk as an expression of gratitude for their graduation, Tuesday (2/5), around the Tugu Yogyakarta compound.
SURABAYA, KOMPAS – The relevance of study programs in relation to the needs of society was one of the main issues of National Education Day on Tuesday (2/5). The issue is in line with the government’s policy of developing vocational education.
The national-level Education Day commemoration was held at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta. However, two related ministries also held ceremonies in different places.
The Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry held an event at the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, Surabaya, while the Education and Culture Ministry held an event at its office in Jakarta.
In his speech, Research, Technology and Higher Education Minister Mohammad Nasir urged higher education institutions to be more than mere agents of education and innovation. It is time for higher education institutions to also act as agents of economic growth, he said.
“Higher education institutions are being pushed to be more attentive toward the impact of their activities on economic growth, particularly in their respective regions,” said Nasir in the event themed “Raising the Relevance of Higher Education to Support Economic Growth.”
According to Nasir, to ensure that the role is performed well, the government will support higher education institutions through various ways, including by increasing the number of vocational education institutions.
“Universities have long been criticized by business circles and industry for not producing graduates whose skills match the needs of the industries,” Nasir said.
The Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry has launched programs to revitalize vocational education that covers competence building, as well as the restructuring of expertise programs and curricula to suit the needs of the industry, Nasir said. The program will also include the development of industry facilities and infrastructure to support student internships and training for lecturers.
In the early stage, 12 state polytechnics and one health polytechnic participated in the revitalization program, including state polytechnics in Surabaya and the Bandung State Polytechnic. The aim is to develop vocational education that is in accordance with the needs of the industry.
“The hope is that polytechnics can produce professional human resources and support the 14 special economic zones and other growth across Indonesia,” Nasir said.
The Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry will also develop science and technology zones (KST). The zones can facilitate research collaboration between researchers, universities and the business world. Through business incubation in the KST, it is hoped that new small and medium enterprises and technology-based entrepreneurs will be established.
“The presence of entrepreneurs moves the wheels of the economy in a number of regions, which results in sustainable growth,” he said.
Separately, the director of Higher Education, Science and Technology and Culture at the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), Amich Alhumami, stressed the need for higher education institutions to map their study programs to meet the needs of the job market.
The presence of entrepreneurs moves the wheels of the economy in a number of regions, which results in sustainable growth.
One of the problems related to study programs in universities is that there is a discrepancy between the field of science-engineering and the field of social-humanities. The social-humanities field is dominant with 13,611 study programs (57 percent), while the science-engineering field has 10,136 study programs (43 percent).
Meanwhile, the number of students in the social-humanities study programs reaches 2.74 million, more than the number of students of science-engineering study programs recorded at 1.62 million. This is despite the fact that in the 21st century there is more of a need for ability in the field of science and engineering, on top of having analytical and critical skills, as well as perseverance.
To develop vocational education, the Sebelas Maret University (UNS) in Solo plans to set up a vocational school. UNS rector Ravik Karsidi said the school would open in August.
Senior high school level
The director general for elementary and secondary education at the Education and Culture Ministry, Hamid Muhammad, said the relevance of education at the secondary level must be of concern. At the senior high school level, for example, more students choose to concentrate on science rather than social science or language. However, at the university level, there is an overload of interest in social and humanities study programs.
“There is still the opinion that the field of science is more prestigious, and so those that manage to get in it are more intelligent. Also, many parents still think that the field of science is more promising and they therefore force their children into it,” he said.
According to Hamid, given that study programs are chosen early in senior high school, students should be given talent and interest tests at the junior high school level. “We will try to develop an efficient and effective instrument to test the talent and interests of students, as well as whether they are more suited to academic or vocational education,” Hamid said.
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