Merdeka Belajar Episode 2: "Kampus Merdeka"

The speaker acknowledges various attendees, including students, lecturers, and chancellors, and introduces the second episode of the Merdeka Campus policy, following the Merdeka Belajar initiative. This policy focuses on higher education's role in creating superior human resources, emphasizing the need for universities to adopt innovative approaches to remain adaptive and agile. However, current higher education practices are seen as lacking in innovation, which is essential for progress.

The essence of the Merdeka Campus policy is to create an ecosystem conducive to innovation, achieved through four main programs. The first program involves the introduction of new study programs. Universities are encouraged to create new programs that are directly aligned with industry and societal needs. The policy identifies challenges in establishing new programs, including rigorous criteria for obtaining government approval, which stifles innovation.

The solution proposed involves collaboration, described metaphorically as 'mass weddings', where universities join with external world-class entities to establish new study programs. Accreditation A and B universities can bypass certain approvals if they partner with top companies, non-profits, state enterprises, or high-ranking universities. Collaboration ensures curriculum development, internships, and recruitment agreements, making programs more competitive globally.

The expectation is for these partnerships to foster genuine global competition among universities, spurring interactions with civil society and industry. By simplifying the registration process for credible collaborations, the policy aims to instigate a paradigm shift in higher education, creating synergies that drive innovation and responsiveness to global educational demands through robust curricula, meaningful internships, and job placements.

The second policy focus is the accreditation system reform in higher education. This involves improving the process through which universities and programs are evaluated and accredited by the government. Current accreditation challenges include cumbersome manual processes, extensive documentation, and long approval queues, which particularly disadvantage smaller universities with fewer resources.

An emphasis is placed on the burdens of maintaining accreditation, which disrupts academic responsibilities. A significant number of requests for accreditation are delayed annually. The rigid national accreditation process coexists with optional international standards, which adds complexity for universities striving for global competitiveness.