Mohamad Nasir, professor at Diponegoro University (Undip) and Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Working Cabinet (2014-2019) emphasized the role of universities and the government in utilizing the demographic bonus as one of the strategies towards Indonesia Gold 2045.
Unesa.ac.id, SURABAYA—Surabaya State University (UNESA) held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with the theme 'The Role of Higher Education and the New Government towards a Golden Indonesia 2045' on Friday, 8 November 2024 at the Whiz Luxe Hotel Surabaya.
The Chancellor of UNESA, Nurhasan or who is familiarly called Cak Hasan, said that the activities included in the UNESA 60th Anniversary series were held to discuss various challenges and opportunities for higher education in preparing superior human resources towards a Golden Indonesia 2045.< /p>
“HR development strategies need to be formulated, considering the challenging dynamics of future competition. The vision of human resource development through education needs to be strengthened and well orchestrated. "Hopefully, there will be strategies and recommendations that we can produce from this discussion," he said.
In the discussion session, Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Working Cabinet (2014-2019), Mohamad Nasir said that Indonesia must prepare superior generation or quality Human Resources (HR) to achieve developed country status and create equitable prosperity.
He emphasized the importance of taking advantage of the demographic bonus that will soon pass, because changes in population structure are taking place quickly. During 33 years of development, Indonesia has not succeeded in reaching the developed country category, with GDP per capita in 2023 at US$4,919.7.
"The potential for five percent economic growth might be normal, stagnant growth without innovation," he said.
He further stated that Indonesia will have big challenges in facing Industry 4.0 which is changing the global structure value chain, and demands increased technology and innovation.
Abdul Haris, Director General of Diktiristek conveyed the need to strengthen the significance and relevance of higher education with the demands of the business and industrial world, which is in line with the development vision national
If Indonesia fails educating a generation that is highly competitive, risks will arise such as aging before being rich, being trapped in the middle income trap, being left behind in the global value chain, and facing low economic growth. This will prevent Indonesia from achieving its vision of a prosperous developed country.
In line with this statement, Abdul Haris, Director General of Higher Education, Research and Technology highlighted that universities play an important role towards a Golden Indonesia 2045, especially in improving quality human resources.
This is in accordance with the constitutional mandate, that higher education must contribute significantly to national development, considering that every 1% increase in the highly educated population can add 0.37% to economic growth and reduce poverty by 2%.
"However, higher education in Indonesia still faces challenges of inequality in access, quality and relevance to the world of work," explained the professor at the University of Indonesia (UI).
The flagship program Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM ) is expected to strengthen the relevance of education to market needs, while research funding is directed at increasing the competitiveness of graduates and improving the quality of universities.
This FGD was attended by experts from ministries and various higher education institutions, as well as university and faculty leaders around UNESA.
Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education and Culture RI for the 2019-2021 period, Ainun Na'im said that the education budget should be used as an investment to increase the Human Capital Index (HCI) and GDP per capita, which can encourage innovation and quality research.
As for trends in Global higher education, he added, such as digital learning, micro-credentials, and the use of artificial intelligence, are directions that Indonesia must adapt to.
Technological advances, labor market needs, as well as demands for sustainability and diversity are also factors that influence higher education. "Therefore, it is hoped that partnerships between campuses and industry will continue to be improved to ensure graduates are ready to face future challenges," he said.
On the other hand, the Chancellor of the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), Arif Satria, expressed concerns regarding resilience Indonesian food. According to him, Indonesia is still lagging behind several neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam in terms of the food security index.
"It is quite worrying to find out that in the Food Sustainability Index, Indonesia has lost to Ethiopia," he explained.< /p>
This shows that Indonesia still has big challenges in realizing sustainable food independence, especially in the context of climate change which continues to have a negative impact on food production. (*)
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Reporter: Medina Azzahra (FBS), and Saputra (FBS)
Editor: @zam*
Photo : UNESA PR Team
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