Maintain the Quality of Off-Campus Learning through the Merdeka Campus

Now, this program has expanded overseas through scholarship programs for studying in various universities abroad and is also being tested through internships or work programs in institutions or companies overseas.

Also read: Enthusiasm for Studying Off Campus Continues to Increase

The Director General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology at the Ministry of Education and Culture, Abdul Haris, stated in Jakarta on Friday (19/4/2024) that breakthroughs in the implementation of the MBKM program are continually being carried out by the Ministry of Education and Culture and universities.

"At first, many rejected it. However, with the mindset of providing flexibility, many universities began to make breakthroughs in providing quality MBKM programs," said Haris.

Haris explained that the breakthrough of MBKM that has been prepared is to collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture. Talks have begun to utilize MBKM in supporting national development priorities, especially in food security, energy security, and defense.

Initially, many rejected the idea. However, with the mindset of providing flexibility, many universities have started to make breakthroughs to provide high-quality MBKM programs.

"When it comes to food security, students can be involved through the MBKM program. Cases can be studied and solutions can be found because there is flexibility for students to complete final projects, not just in the form of a thesis. So, there are many opportunities that can be developed to optimize the MBKM," said Haris.

Comply with the provisions

Haris added that the socialization and assistance for universities in developing the MBKM program are increasingly being intensified. This aims to ensure that the universities' enthusiasm for succeeding in the MBKM program still refers to the provisions regarding the MBKM as a part of the process of students' learning or studying.

"Don't misunderstand, as if the Ministry of Education and Culture Research and Technology is setting high targets for MBKM and doing everything possible. There are regulations that must be complied with, and it shouldn't be forced if it's not achieved. It's necessary to change the paradigm that program quality is also important, not just quantity," he said.

Chairperson of the Merdeka Campus Project Implementation Center, Gugup Kismono, explained that the MBKM is an effort to enhance the capacity of students. This aims to ensure that students are not only job-ready, but also capable of adapting to challenges in the workforce and life.

The form of the MBKM program is adapted to the needs and conditions of each university. However, the Ministry of Education and Culture has developed various flagship or superior MBKM programs as references or benchmarks.

The new program prepared is the International Global Internship (IGI) program. This is a development of the successful certified internship and independent study program (MSIB) that has been running domestically.

A flagship program that is already running with high interest is the Indonesian International Students Mobility Awards (IISMA) which was developed with a co-funding scheme or collaborative financing of participants and the government.

Through IISMA, students can gain experience, enrich their insights, and introduce Indonesian culture to various corners of the world.

Also read: Improving the Independent Campus

In 2024, IISMA will return with three funding schemes, namely regular, affirmation and co-funding. Registration for regular and affirmation schemes has closed and attracted 10,563 registrants.

To accommodate more Indonesian students who want to gain study experience at overseas universities, IISMA has opened a co-funding scheme.

Head of the IISMA Program, Rachmat A Sriwijaya, explained that the number of regular and affirmative registrants consisted of 8,581 undergraduate students and 1,982 vocational students.

Meanwhile, the number of students accepted was 1,508 from the bachelor's program and 769 from the vocational program. That means, the total number of applicants was 10,563 students, but only 2,277 were accepted.

"There are more than 7,000 students who have not been able to take part in the IISMA program. "Therefore, there is a ministry policy to expand coverage by implementing a co-funding program," said Rachmat.