USU PR - Minister of Education and Culture Research and Technology Nadiem Anwar Makarim praised the Merdeka Learning Campus Merdeka (MBKM) program at the Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) which involved local partners. He conveyed this during a dialogue with students and lecturers at the USU Auditorium, Tuesday (10/26/2021).

Mas Menteri, as Nadiem Makarim is known, said that the MBKM program next year will be further improved. Currently, there are 50,000 students throughout Indonesia who have participated in the MBKM program and next year the target is 150,000.

“Three times up. Rectors must pursue and prepare for this. Therefore, MBKM partners that are built should not only be from ministry partners, but also local partners. I am happy that USU has implemented it," said Nadiem who was present with Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives Sofyan Tan and the Director General of Higher Education, Research and Technology Prof. Ir. Nizam MSc PhD, IPU, Asean Eng.

Nadiem said he really appreciated the strategic steps taken by the rectors to accelerate the MBKM program on the campus he led. And he reminded that in the next year there will be an increase in the program.

“First, it was an increase in the MBKM program. The second is the improvement of the Matching Fund program. This program is a tangible form of support from the Ministry of Education and Culture for the creation of collaboration and strategic synergy between higher education institutions and the industry," he said.

Nadiem said that this program was extraordinary to encourage applied research in universities. Private or non-profit companies provide research funding assistance which is then directly added to the ministry with the same amount of budget as that provided by the agency.

"So the government immediately added. If they give Rp1 billion, the government will give another Rp1 billion. It's amazing, so the campus has to go after it. And what's even more amazing is that this program can be collaborated with the MBKM program so that all programs are integrated," he said.

The third priority program that universities need to prepare is the Competitive Fund program which next year will focus on eco green, blue energy and climate change. The three programs must be run by universities.

Nadiem also emphasized that his party would fight the three sins of the university. "What's that? First is sexual violence, then bullying and finally intolerance. We will fight these three sins starting with sexual violence,” he said.

USU Rector Dr. Muryanto Amin who guided Minister Nadiem Makarim's discussion on that occasion said USU had carried out the MBKM program in his first year in office to the maximum extent possible.

Not even a year under the leadership of Dr. Muryanto Amin, USU has collaborated with five local partners in implementing the MBKM program. "Among them are PT POS, PTPN, Bank Sumut and Pegadaian and there are already dozens of students who are currently in the process of certified internships," he said.

The Rector explained that his party had also deconstructed the curriculum, simplified the administrative process and institutional governance to make it more efficient and adaptive to respond to the times.

Problem dialogue

At the Accra, the Rector of USU invited participants who wanted to discuss and ask questions with Mas Menteri Nadiem Makarim. A number of students and lecturers from universities also asked questions and raised the problems experienced related to the MBKM program.

Responding to the "concern" of the dialogue participants, Minister Nadiem Makarim said he was happy with the problems presented. With a problem, it is certain that the program is running and moving.

Nadiem also emphasized that the MBKM program he had built had three stages of implementation. The first round was the problem, he said, namely curriculum problems, administration, refusal, confusion and so on.

Then it will start the second round, namely the stage of accepting, starting to adapt, willingness to follow the program and the emergence of conveniences. Then the last stage, namely the third round, is the MBKM program which is fully operational.

The warm dialogue with Minister Nadiem Makarim, which lasted for a short time, was closed with the gift of a deer statue as a souvenir of the Universitas Sumatera Utara Campus from the Rector Dr Muryanto Amin to Minister Nadiem Makarim. The third priority program that universities need to prepare is the Competitive Fund program which next year will focus on eco green, blue energy and climate change. The three programs must be run by universities. (©ULC)

Author: Bambang Riyanto - Humas

Interviewee: - - -

Photographer: Amri Simatupang - Humas