False hopes of ‘imported’ rector

Budi Widianarko
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PREMIUM

Semarang / Tue, September 10, 2019 / 02:22 pm

it is assumed that by having a great foreign rector, a university will be transformed into a reputable research university. I am worried that this initiative will only produce false hopes. (Shutterstock/99Art)

The government’s plan to hire foreign rectors is worth discussing, not just to reject or approve the initiative. The discussion must dive into the true objectives and benefits we may gain from it. The research, technology and higher education minister told the media that foreign rectors would present world quality education while increasing the ranking of our universities. We should ponder the plan carefully, whether or not it is too simplistic, if not naive. Imagine a quantum leap in terms of the quality and reputation of a university just by importing a rector, the same effect as signing Lionel Messi or Christiano Ronaldo for our soccer team to help us win, or at least qualify for, the World Cup. The idea of importing rectors is inseparable from the burden on the country’s higher education authority to create a world-class university, namely a research university with...