The newly appointed National Education Minister Muhammad Nuh said Monday that he would revamp the country's curriculum to prioritize entrepreneurship in universities.
Although fresh graduates often find entrepreneurship daunting, the minister said entrepreneurship was a character that every university graduate must have.
"They should be independent and creative," he said after attending a ministerial meeting in Jakarta.
Currently, entrepreneurs account for less than 1 percent of Indonesia's population of 229 million people.
Increasing the number of entrepreneurs in the country to above 1 percent is one of Nuh's five-year targets, which is in line with the national education scheme announced at last week's National Summit by President Susilo Bambang Yudho-yono and the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono.
Fasli Jalal, the ministry's director general for higher education, said the ministry would cooperate with Indonesian property tycoon, Ciputra, for the provision of special entrepreneurship training.
"We will also work together with PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia *Telkom*, General Electric Indonesia and Bank Mandiri," said Fasli.
He said this cooperation was made possible because the ministry had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry earlier this year.
He said the ministry's budget for the provision of entrepreneurship programs in universities would amount to Rp 108 billion (US$11.3 million).
He added the ministry would establish more than 300 entrepreneurship centers in 86 state universities and 220 private universities throughout the country during the first 100 days of the current administration.
Separately, Hanum Isfaeni, a lecturer at Jakarta State University, said that he expected entrepreneurship programs under the new minister to change the way students were taught at universities.
"So far, most entrepreneurship courses in universities do not lead to the creation of real entrepreneurs due to a lack of facilities and financial support," he said.
He acknowledged that his department, mathematics and natural science, had obtained limited financial support.
"For example, my students are required to breed white rats in a cage measuring 20 meters by 10 meters, but due to a lack of financial support, they can only conduct the experiment in a cage measuring 5 meters by 10 meters," he said.
"A smaller cage can support fewer white rats. Therefore, we can only sell the rats in smaller quantities," he said, adding the white rats could be sold to research institutions, schools and universities.
"If more rats can be bred, students will experience the real combination of technology and entrepreneurship, and how to create a real business," he said.
Ahmad Hamada, 24, a Yogyakarta State University student, said students would welcome the plan. (nia)
