TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
International academics on campus: What will attract them?
The country, which has an annual economic growth rate of 5 percent, needs a qualified workforce to manage its burgeoning economy. However, the present quality of our universities leaves a lot to be desired.
Change Size
Prasetiya Mulya, Cilandak Campus (-/-)
T
he Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry has announced a plan to recruit up to 200 professors from the world’s top 100 ranked universities to work in Indonesia’s state universities. The opening of Indonesia’s higher education sector to international talent is a welcome change that should bring benefits for the universities and the nation as a whole.
The country, which has an annual economic growth rate of 5 percent, needs a qualified workforce to manage its burgeoning economy. However, the present quality of our universities leaves a lot to be desired. Only three universities are ranked in the QS top 500 universities. The research productivity of lecturers is also appalling. Ideally, internationally reputable professors can help train our workforce to keep up with global competition.
Indeed, the world’s top universities are very internationalized. They hire the best professors from around the world. In United States universities, in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), many professors come from China, the Indian subcontinent and Eastern Europe. They have helped these universities gain their impressive research track records and technological advancements. Similarly, most PhD students enrolled in STEM programs throughout the US are not US citizens.
While the ministry’s plan is laudable and is based on the actual need to boost the quality of Indonesian universities and human capital, the details of the plan seem unrealistic. Recruiting professors from the world’s top universities is obviously difficult.
